---

Budget Responsibility and National Audit Bill [HL]

My recollection of the words that the noble Lord, Lord Barnett, used was ““official forecasts””. So I think it is quite clear that the Chancellor of the Exchequer had in mind forecasts by the officials. Is the Minister aware of any case in which an official objected to an economic forecast that the Government presented to Parliament on the basis that it was incorrect? I certainly participated in discussions on economic performance and I saw no examples of officials objecting to the work which came from Mr David Ramsden and other members of the Treasury responsible for economic forecasting under interrogation by Ministers. Will the Minister make it clear that the use of the term ““official forecasts”” was not a criticism of officials? If it was a criticism, on what basis was it made, given that there were no objections?