Monetary Policy Committee: Inflation

Lord Barnett Excerpts

Wednesday 13th February 2013 Lords Chamber

Asked by

[Lord Barnett]

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the proposal by Mark Carney that the Monetary Policy Committee’s inflation target should be flexible.

[The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Deighton)]

My Lords, the Chancellor set the remit for the Monetary Policy Committee at Budget 2012 to target inflation of 2% as measured by the 12-month increase in the consumer prices index. Inflation targeting has served the UK economy very well.

[Lord Barnett]

The Minister did not quite answer my Question, my Lords. He will know that Mark Carney, the new governor, has said that,

“flexible inflation targeting offered the best chance of boosting growth while maintaining price stability”.

Does the Chancellor agree with his new governor, who he has said is the best in the world?

[Lord Deighton]

My Lords, if I did not quite answer the Question directly it was because the Question implies that we currently do not have flexible inflation targeting, but I believe that that is precisely what we have already. The remit given to the MPC actually lays out the conditions which provide for adjustments, given what may happen with shocks and disturbances, so that we can take a longer time to reach the inflation target. To my mind, that is a definition of flexibility.