Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: HM Treasury

Oral Answers to Questions

Robert Courts Excerpts
Tuesday 27th February 2018

(6 years, 9 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Elizabeth Truss Portrait Elizabeth Truss
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My hon. Friend makes a very good point. Local government funding has not been fair enough. That is why we are consulting on a fair formula at the moment, and I will look with interest at his representations.

Robert Courts Portrait Robert Courts (Witney) (Con)
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20. What progress is being made on reducing the deficit.

Mel Stride Portrait The Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Mel Stride)
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In 2010, we had a post-war record level of deficit at 9.9%, and we have reduced that to 2.3% as of last year. The Office for Budget Responsibility forecast in November is that the deficit will further decline to 1.1% of GDP by 2022-23.

Robert Courts Portrait Robert Courts
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Will the Minister give an estimate of the effect that our deficit reduction measures have had on relieving the tax burden for younger generations?

Mel Stride Portrait Mel Stride
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My hon. Friend raises a critical point about the importance of getting the debt down to make sure that future generations do not carry the burden of it. That is why we have reduced the deficit by three quarters and why we are going to hit our reduction in the level of debt as a percentage of GDP two years early, in 2020-21.