Government Spending Cuts Debate

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Department: HM Treasury

Government Spending Cuts

Lindsay Hoyle Excerpts
Wednesday 26th May 2010

(14 years, 6 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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David Laws Portrait Mr Laws
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The hon. Gentleman makes a very good point, and there are two answers to his question. The first is that the Chancellor of the Exchequer will make a Budget statement in this place on 22 June, when he will set out precisely the state of the public finances, and the second is that crucially, through the Office for Budget Responsibility, he will make assumptions about the public finances and growth that are objectively and independently informed. He will not do what previous Governments have been able to do, which is fiddle the growth figures for their own purposes.

Lindsay Hoyle Portrait Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley) (Lab)
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I welcome the Chief Secretary’s commitment to the defence budget. Will he share with us the benefits to the north-west, such as the jobs that are important to us? Will he confirm that tranche 3 of Eurofighter, the Typhoon aircraft, will now go ahead?

David Laws Portrait Mr Laws
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We are about to embark on a strategic defence review, and all such issues will be considered as part of that. We will, of course, seek to protect the parts of the equipment budget that are particularly important, but I cannot pre-empt the review.