§ Mr. CashTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the relationship of the Maastricht criteria to public expenditure levels, with reference to(a) the Treasury Red Books since 1997 and (b) the Treasury Paper of June 2003 on "Policy Frameworks in the UK and EMU". [160647]
§ Ruth KellyThe scope of the Maastricht criteria is set out in Annexe A of the EMU study on "Policy Frameworks in the UK and EMU".
Projections for the public finances presented in the 2003 pre-Budget report, show that the UK continues to meet a prudent interpretation of the Stability and Growth Pact, that takes into account the economic cycle, the long-term sustainability of the public finances and the important role of public investment.
Projections of the public finances will be updated, as usual, in the forthcoming Budget.