Lord Livermore (Lab)

My Lords, I will speak briefly to Amendment 43 tabled by the noble Lord, Lord Fuller, which would require the Government to publish an impact assessment of the Bill on local authorities within six months of its introduction. The noble Lord set out eloquently the damage the previous Government did over 14 years to public services and to the funding available to local government. He asked me the same questions as he did in Committee, and I give him the same answer as I did then: it is not for me to comment on the calculations made by other organisations. On impact, as I have set out previously this evening and extensively in Committee, the Government have already published an assessment of this policy and a tax information and impact note. The OBR’s Economic and Fiscal Outlook also sets out the expected macroeconomic impact of the changes to employer national insurance contributions on employment, growth and inflation. The Government and the OBR have therefore already set out the impacts of this policy change. The information provided is in line with other tax changes, and the Government do not intend to publish further assessments. The Government will of course continue to monitor the impact of these policies in the usual way. I therefore respectfully ask the noble Lord to withdraw his amendment.