John Healey, the Chancellor, has pledged that there will be a "reduction in the benefits bill" before the next general election, according to a BBC report of his remarks after Wednesday's Budget.
The commitment follows criticism from opponents that the Budget lacked detail on welfare reform. Think tanks had already said that decisions on welfare were being put off.
Mr Healey said the government had a "moral duty" to help almost one million young people who are out of work, education or training. The BBC also quotes him as saying:
"The problem is these decisions are going to be harder in a year's time than they are today."
The pledge was made in an interview and is not a Budget measure. The report does not say how or by how much the bill would fall.
Opposition parties were critical of the Budget. Reform UK's Robert Jenrick called it an "exercise in fiddling while the economy burns". Ellie Chowns of the Green Party said it "failed to engage with the real issues facing our country".