§ Mr. GibbTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he asked the National Audit Office to audit the key assumptions and conventions underpinning the fiscal projections in the Pre-Budget report; [61035]
(2) for what reason no Audit of Assumptions for the Pre-Budget report was published. [61034]
§ Ms Hewitt[holding answer 27 November 1998]: The Code for Fiscal Stability requires the Treasury to invite the National Audit Office to audit any changes to the key assumptions and conventions underpinning the fiscal projections. The assumptions and conventions used for the projections in the Pre-Budget Report were unchanged from those used in the March Budget.
§ Mr. GibbTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the Government have asked the National Audit Office to review the change of assumptions in unemployment from156W 1.65 million as set out in the Audit of Assumptions for the July 1997 Budget Projection to 1.3 million in the 1998 Pre-Budget report. [61036]
§ Ms Hewitt[holding answer 27 November 1998]: In its report to Parliament dated 19 June 1997 (Cm 3693), the National Audit Office audited a flat planning assumption for unemployment. The use of a flat assumption is a long-standing convention that has been used in all subsequent published Treasury forecasts.