Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: HM Treasury

Oral Answers to Questions

Andrew Bridgen Excerpts
Tuesday 16th November 2010

(14 years, 10 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Mark Hoban Portrait Mr Hoban
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Of course there are areas where more work needs to be done, and the hon. Gentleman is right that Michel Barnier has made further proposals, in a consultation paper that he published earlier this year. They included looking at the business models for credit rating agencies. However, I question whether taxpayers in Europe would feel it right that their money should be going to fund credit rating agencies.

Andrew Bridgen Portrait Andrew Bridgen (North West Leicestershire) (Con)
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Is it not a cause for cautious optimism that agencies such as Fitch, Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s have now given the UK such an excellent credit rating?

Mark Hoban Portrait Mr Hoban
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My hon. Friend is absolutely right, and it just goes to show that credit rating agencies do not get it wrong all the time. In May, Standard & Poor’s put the UK’s credit rating on a “negative outlook”, as a consequence of the previous Government’s policies. However, in October it said that

“the coalition parties have shown a high degree of cohesion in putting the U.K.’s public finances onto what we view to be a more sustainable footing.”

We welcome those comments.