§ Mr. HammondTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what account he took of(a) public holidays in any part of the United Kingdom in fixing the date of his Budget and (b) the relevant precedents. [24170]
§ Mr. Gordon BrownA number of factors are taken into account in deciding the date of the Budget. These include the availability of economic data; international meetings; the timetable for developing budgetary policy and national events including public holidays. On balance, I decided that 17 March would be the most suitable day for this year's Budget. The Budget was also held on 17 March in 1987.