Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that all material information held by HM Treasury on in-year departmental spending pressures is disclosed to the Office for Budget Responsibility in a timely manner ahead of each fiscal event; and whether she has plans to bring forward proposals to strengthen the statutory framework governing the provision of information by HM Treasury to the Office for Budget Responsibility.

The Review of the March 2024 forecast for departmental expenditure limits, published by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) in 2024 made ten recommendations to deliver enhanced transparency, visibility and data reporting between HM Treasury and the OBR.

The Chancellor accepted all ten of the OBR’s recommendations. These changes were enshrined in a new Charter for Budget Responsibility, published alongside Autumn Budget 2024.

As part of the updated Charter, HM Treasury committed to sharing all relevant information about spending pressures on departmental expenditure limits and the Reserve with the OBR, ahead of forecasts and regular intervals in between.

This includes information on the factors impacting whether these pressures will emerge. HM Treasury also committed to sharing how any announcements since the last forecast, with material impacts on departmental expenditure limits, are funded.

HM Treasury is now working closely with the OBR to implement these commitments.