The OBR’s formal rights and responsibilities are outlined in four documents:
• The Budget Responsibility and National Audit Act 2011
• The Charter for Budget Responsibility
• A Memorandum of Understanding
The Budget Responsibility and National Audit Act sets out the overarching duty of the OBR to examine and report on the sustainability of the public finances. It also gives complete discretion to the OBR in the performance of its duties, as long as those duties are performed objectively, transparently and independently and takes into account the sitting government’s policies and not alternative policies. The Charter outlines the OBR’s independence which includes complete discretion to decide:
• The methodology underpinning the OBR’s forecasts, assessment and analyses;
• the judgements made by the OBR in producing these outputs;
• the content of the OBR’s publications; and
• the OBR’s work programme of research and additional analysis.
Primary legislation
The OBR is a non-departmental public body, under the Budget Responsibility and National Audit Act 2011. The Act provides for the establishment of the office, and sets out its functions and broad governance structure.
The Charter for Budget Responsibility
The Charter for Budget Responsibility sets out the OBR’s remit, how it is to perform its duties, the required content of its key publications and the arrangements for determining the timing of its forecasts and other key publications. It also sets out the Government’s fiscal targets and has therefore been updated a number of times in recent years. All previous versions of the Charter are available at the bottom of this page.
Framework document
The OBR’s governance and management arrangements are set out in greater detail in a Framework document drawn up by the Treasury and agreed with the OBR. This describes the purposes of the OBR, how it is accountable to Parliament and the Chancellor, its governance and structure, the responsibilities of the accounting officer, the content of the annual report, the audit arrangements, and its managements and budgeting processes. The Framework document was reviewed and amended in May 2014 and again in March 2019. The previous versions are available at the bottom of this page.
Memorandum of Understanding
The Memorandum of Understanding sets out the agreed working relationship between the OBR, HM Revenue and Customs, the Department for Work and Pensions, and HM Treasury. It sets out the arrangements needed for effective working, covering each institution’s key responsibilities, coordination of the forecast process, and the process for information sharing.
The OBR uses a large-scale macroeconomic model for the production of the economic forecast. The model was originally designed and developed by the Treasury, but is now jointly maintained and developed by the Treasury and the OBR. The macroeconomic model memorandum of understanding establishes a framework for the joint governance, management and development of the macroeconomic model.
Devolved administrations
Read the legislation on the Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland page.