My Lords, the OBR will produce a new forecast in the autumn for the annual Budget, and the Chancellor will take decisions based on that forecast. We will set out our fiscal plans at the Budget in the usual way.
I am not quite sure what tax the noble Lord is referring to, but absolutely not, because it is essential to stabilising the public finances and to funding our public services. The party opposite welcomed all the spending we announced in the spending review a few weeks ago, so if it wants the spendin…
My Lords, the idea for this debate came about at the end of January, when I was lying in a hospital bed, where I had been for nearly four weeks receiving treatment for my heart. Those were the later stages of what had been a long journey for me since 2011. One surgeon described me as an interesting …
I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Booth, on securing this debate, on his very personal account of what he went through and on sharing with us his experiences and what we can learn from them.
As a former Health Minister who had some responsibility in this area, I know that cardiovascular illness c…
My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper, and I apologise to the House because I have only half a voice today.
My Lords, the Government’s plan for change set out three metrics for the economic growth mission: first, that we will aim for the highest growth in the G7—we are currently the fastest-growing economy in the G7; secondly, higher living standards in every part of the country—living standards are now f…
My Lords, the Government are reviewing all arm’s-length bodies, with a presumption that they will be closed or merged or have functions returned to government departments unless justified. The review supports the Government’s plan to create a more productive and agile state, exemplified by NHS Engla…
This Government, unlike the last one, are very aware that every penny we spend is taxpayers’ money. That is why we are reviewing every arm’s-length body and will be the first Government in history to ask the Civil Service to look at our manifesto to see which of our commitments for arm’s-length bodi…