The tasks the OBR has been given require us to have a close working relationship with officials in a number of Government departments – especially the Treasury, the Department for Work & Pensions and HM Revenue & Customs – in the run-up to Budgets and Spring Statements. We maintain our independence by being as transparent as we can after each forecast about our interactions with ministers and their key staff and about the reasons for the judgements we have reached. The formal ‘rules of the game’ for our working relationship with departments are set out in a Memorandum of Understanding (which you can find on our Legislation and related material page). For more details on how we interact with departments see our Working with Government page.
"It is the duty of the Office to examine and report on the sustainability of the public finances"