Government debt has risen over time, following support provided for the banking sector during the 2007-08 financial crisis, and measures to protect the economy and public health during the pandemic.
The Committee reported in 2018 that high levels of Government debt left little room for manoeuvre in public spending, with the unknown costs of Brexit placing further limitations on Government’s ability to react to further economic shocks. Its inquiry also warned of the risks presented by increasing exposure to rising inflation and the eventual unwinding of the Bank of England's quantitative easing programme.
The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecasts debt interest payments will reach £114.7 billion in 2022-23, higher as a percentage of GDP than any time since the 1950s. A National Audit Office report on the topic found that the environment for borrowing and debt management has become more challenging since 2017, with debt interest payments one of the largest items in government spending at the time of the report.
Based on the NAO report, the Committee will take evidence from senior officials from HM Treasury, the Debt Management Office, National Savings & Investments, and the Office for Budget Responsibility, on subjects including:
- future challenges for debt management, including the refinancing of pandemic borrowing;
- how Government plans to minimise the cost of servicing its debt;
- how it manages risks to delivering its debt management objectives;
- the implications of changes to the market for government debt.
If you have evidence on these issues, please submit it here by 23:59 on Friday 24 November.
Please look at the requirements for written evidence submissions and note that the Committee cannot accept material as evidence that is published elsewhere.