National Reform Programme

Wednesday 25th March 2015 Written Statements

[The Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Mr David Gauke)]

Under Council Recommendation 2010/410 of 13 July 2010, member states send National Reform Programmes each year, which report to the Commission on their structural reforms and plans.

The UK 2015 National Reform Programme reports on actions taken by the UK as a whole, including by the Government and by the devolved Administrations where policy responses are of a devolved competence.

The 2015 National Reform Programme:

puts the UK’s structural reforms in the context of deficit reduction, the 2014 autumn statement and Budget 2015;

reports on the broad macroeconomic context;

reports on policies to tackle the six country-specific recommendations addressed to the UK by the July 2014 Council of the European Union on: fiscal consolidation; housing market reforms; youth employment; low-income households, child poverty and child care; access to finance; and the national infrastructure plan;

and sets out the UK’s approach to national monitoring, in line with the five headline Europe 2020 targets agreed by the Council of the European Union in June 2010.

The National Reform Programme is based heavily on the announcements and forecasts of Budget 2015 and the autumn statement 2014. It is, furthermore, drawn entirely from information already in the public domain.

The UK’s National Reform Programme will be available electronically via HM Treasury’s website after it is sent to the European Commission.

[HCWS487]