§ Mr. BluntTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 11 November 1998,Official Report, column 198, and paragraph 2 of Cm 4076, what assessment he has made of the impact of gross domestic product growth below his Department's most pessimistic case on compliance with the golden rule. [60044]
§ Ms HewittParagraph 2.56 of the Pre-Budget Report published on 3 November 1998 explains that the fiscal rules apply over the economic cycle and that they are robust to errors in short-term growth forecasts. On the basis of the Government's prudent approach to the public finances, the golden rule will be met on average over the cycle.