UK 2012 National Reform Programme

Monday 30th April 2012 Written Statements

[The Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Mr Mark Hoban)]

The Government have today published the UK 2012 national reform programme. The document has been submitted to the European Commission, as part of the European semester.

National Reform Programme

Under council recommendation 2010/410 of 13 July 2010, member states submit national reform programmes each year, which report to the Commission on their structural reforms and plans.

The UK 2012 national reform programme reports on actions taken by the UK as a whole, including by the Government and by the devolved Administrations where policy responses are of a devolved competence.

The 2012 national reform programme:

puts the UK’s structural reforms in the context of deficit reduction and the 2011 autumn statement and plan for growth;

reports on the broad macro-economic context, which uses the same text as the UK’s convergence programme;

reports on policies to tackle the five country-specific recommendations addressed to the UK by the June 2011 European Council: continuing with fiscal consolidation; reforms to the housing market; improving the employability of young people; reducing worklessness; and increasing access to finance; and

sets out the UK’s approach to national monitoring, in line with the five headline Europe 2020 targets agreed by the European Council in June 2010.

The national reform programme only draws on public information and is based on the announcements and forecasts of Budget 2012, “The Plan for Growth” and the autumn statement 2011. It is, therefore, entirely based on information already presented to Parliament.

Copies of the document will be deposited in the Libraries of both Houses and will be available on the Treasury website at: www.hm-treasury.gov.uk.