Budget Responsibility and National Audit Bill [HL]

Debate between Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay and Lord Myners

Monday 29th November 2010 Grand Committee

[Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay]

My Lords, like the noble Lord, Lord Eatwell, I was rather struck by the word “intergenerational” in the draft charter for budget responsibility. The Treasury’s objectives for fiscal policy are to,

“ensure sustainable public finances that support confidence in the economy”,

which is fine, and,

“promote intergenerational fairness, and ensure the effectiveness of wider Government policy”.

Can the Minister tell me why we need the word “intergenerational”? It seems that one of the basic objectives of fiscal policy is to promote fairness and, of course, our coalition agreement holds fairness very high. Why do we need the word “intergenerational” here? As it is a draft charter, perhaps I may ask that the word be taken out from the final version.

[Lord Myners]

My Lords, I support my noble friend Lord Eatwell. I think that I need do no more than cite our debate a few minutes ago in the Chamber when the Minister repeated the Statement on the OBR made earlier today in the other place by the right honourable Chancellor of the Exchequer. The central emphasis of that Statement was the economy. It would seem therefore that the Government intend to use the OBR and the charter in support of it to give confidence to their economic projections. I therefore suggest to the Minister that no harm would be done, and considerably greater precision would be achieved, if the words proposed by my noble friend were inserted in Clause 1.

--- Later in debate ---

[Lord Myners]

I shall bear that in mind. If the Minister is struggling to keep up with his work, I will obviously make an effort to lighten the burden on him. However, I hope that he makes a serious effort to answer Written Questions. There are some examples in Hansard today which are so far from the mark in terms of attempting to answer the Question that they treat the House with a disregard which is inappropriate.

[Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay]

It is not just under this Government that that has been happening; it is a problem with the Treasury generally, although it has been happening particularly under this Government. If the Treasury made a bit more effort to answer Questions honestly and fully the first time, we would not need to ask them two or three times. It is a bad problem.