Wednesday 25 August 2010

Treasury's Mark Hoban repeatedly dodges Radio 4's fairness question

Fresh analysis of the coalition government's first Budget has concluded that low income families are among the biggest losers from the measures announced in June. Research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) found that the poorest households will see their annual incomes fall by about 5% cent on average by 2014. Financial Secretary to the Treasury Mark Hoban gave his response to the report on Radio 4's Today programme, challenging the IFS's "selective analysis".

Here is a transcript of the Hoban and Webb exchange over the legally required assessment on the fairness of the Budget:

Justin Webb (R4): Can I just ask you this quick question: have you conducted an assessment which you are required to do by law by the equalities act of 2010 to find out what affect this budget has on ethnic minorities, disabled, other vulnerable groups?
Mark Hoban: Look Justin we went through a very detailed distributional analysis at the time of the Budget, it was the most extensive piece of work that anyone has done…
JW: But have you conducted this assessment?
MH: And it looked across a wide range of households in a way that other governments haven’t done, and I think the choice that we faced…
JW: So hold on, can I just get straight from you, have you conducted this legal assessment or not?
MH: Justin, we have gone through the most detailed and rigourous assessment of the distributional impact of this Budget than any government…
JW: So you’ve not, you’ve not actually done the assessment that you’re required to do under the 2010 act?
MH: We’ve gone through the most rigourous assessment of the impact of this Budget on families…
JW: But Not this formal assessment?
MH: We’ve gone through, Justin this is the best and most detailed piece of work any government has done on the impact of their Budget on families and households…
JW: Can I just get it clear from you, you’ve not done the formal assessment that some people think you are required to do under the equalities act 2010?
MH: Justin I think you know you are looking at detail rather than actually at recognising the fact we had to take some difficult decisions in the Budget to tackle the deficit we inherited from Labour, the choice we faced was either to take action now or to do nothing…
JW: But people are going to conclude that you’ve not conducted that, I mean you call it a detail, people are going to conclude now that you haven’t conducted it and that’s a fair conclusion.

Yes, I think that's a fair conclusion.