Written question asked by Lord Myners (Labour), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Sassoon (Conservative) on Monday, 27 September 2010.

Budget Responsibility Committee

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether HM Treasury Ministers have attended meetings of the Budget Responsibility Committee.

Answer: The interim Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) was established on 17 May 2010 to make an independent assessment of the public finances and the economy for the emergency Budget. The Budget Responsibility Committee (BRC) had direct control over the forecasts and made all the key judgments that drive the official projections. Ministers were not present when decisions on the forecast were taken. Members of the BRC met Treasury Ministers on five occasions between May 2010 and the middle of July 2010 to brief them on the OBR forecasts and provide advice on the permanent arrangements for the OBR. Further details are set out in the National Audit Office report of 22 June 2010. This report is available from the National Audit Office website at: http://www.nao.orq.uk/publications/1011/obr budget forecasts.aspx.

Secondary information