Budget Responsibility and National Audit Bill [HL]

My Lords, I was trying to be brief. I introduced this amendment by asking just a few questions so that we might reach the target number of amendments that the Government want to reach today. I am not trying to delay the Committee but we have now spent 32 minutes on this amendment. I am not objecting to that; I welcome the views of Members of this Committee, such as the noble Lords, Lord Burns and Lord Turnbull, my noble friend Lord Myners and, indeed, the noble Lord, Lord Sassoon, himself, who have worked in the Treasury rather more recently than I have. I apologise for trying to be brief and for not expanding on what I might say at a later stage. However, I have now elicited a reasonable amount of information from the noble Lord, Lord Sassoon. I should make it clear that in no way am I or, I am sure, my noble friend Lord Peston seeking to obstruct Lord Chote—no, that comes later; I am making a forecast now. We are not seeking to obstruct the OBR from employing the best possible people. I want to be crystal clear: like everyone else, we are both concerned about the independence of this body. As I indicated on Second Reading, I was not in favour of setting it up—unlike every other Member of this Committee—but we must have it. I do not object to that now but I want to know exactly what is going to happen. I was told by recent senior officials of the Treasury that people could be popping in and out and that there was no career structure. Perhaps the plan is that the OBR will be temporary, I do not know. I thought not; I thought it was another permanent independent forecasting body that was perhaps doing a lot more work than the Institute for Fiscal Studies or any of the other independent bodies. I would welcome any further information on that. I do not wish to pursue the matter further now, other than to make clear that we are seeking to ensure the true independence—and the perceived true independence—of the OBR. I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment 12 withdrawn. Amendment 13 Moved by