Select Committee · Treasury Committee

Quantitative tightening

Status: Closed Opened: 31 Jan 2023 Closed: 1 May 2024 10 recommendations 12 conclusions 1 report

This inquiry will examine quantitative tightening, including its impact on the economy and its fiscal costs. It will also investigate the role of quantitative easing and tightening in the current outbreak of double-digit inflation and in bringing inflation down. Read the call for evidence to find out more about the inquiry

Clear

Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Fifth Report - Quantitative Tightening HC 219 7 Feb 2024 22 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

5 items
6 Recommendation Fifth Report - Quantitative Tightening Rejected

Develop forecasting tools for QT impact and provide quarterly public updates to Parliament

The Bank should develop its forecasting and modelling tools for understanding the impact of QT and look to how these can be integrated into the forecasting and communication process. Given the uncertainty over its effects, the Bank should also Quantitative Tightening 35 update Parliament and the public on QT at …

Government response. The government states the MPC considers QE/QT impact in annual reviews, which it deems appropriate, and includes assessments in quarterly reports. It also notes that Bank staff already use various modelling tools and quantitative analysis for QT impact, with this …
HM Treasury
9 Recommendation Fifth Report - Quantitative Tightening Rejected

Publish more frequent updates on gilt market participant demand and sentiment.

Given the unusually high extent of gilt sales in the coming years, the Bank and the Debt Management Office should publish more frequent updates on gilt market participant demand and sentiment. (Paragraph 51) The fiscal impact of quantitative easing and tightening

Government response. The government states the Bank already publishes aggregate gilt market demand and auction results, and surveys market participants. However, it rejects the recommendation for the DMO to publish market sentiment updates, arguing it risks negatively impacting market behaviour and falls …
HM Treasury
12 Conclusion Fifth Report - Quantitative Tightening Rejected

Bank and MPC underestimate trade-offs between QT pace and annual losses.

While the Governor played down the impact that decisions over the pace of QT have on the scale of lifetime gains and losses arising from QE and QT, the evidence presented to us shows that there is some trade-off between the two, and more so 36 Quantitative Tightening in terms …

Government response. The government reiterates that Bank Rate is the primary active monetary policy tool and that the MPC discusses QT parameters annually. It asserts there is little evidence that a different QT pace would significantly alter overall cashflows or total costs …
HM Treasury
15 Recommendation Fifth Report - Quantitative Tightening Rejected

Assess value for money of all past QE rounds for future selective use.

In its response to this report, the Bank should set out whether it thinks that all individual rounds of QE have proved to be good value for money considering the later fiscal cost. In any future QE, lessons should be learned about the effectiveness of each round of QE over …

Government response. The Bank rejects the recommendation to assess the value for money of individual QE rounds, asserting the MPC's independence from fiscal considerations; however, the Treasury commits to keeping its approach to cashflow management under review and considering lessons learned should …
HM Treasury
22 Recommendation Fifth Report - Quantitative Tightening Rejected

Examine inclusion of indemnity payments in fiscal rules debt and revisit QE/QT accounting

The Treasury should examine whether it is appropriate that ongoing indemnity payments are included in the debt targeted by the fiscal rules, subject to maintaining the credibility of the UK’s macroeconomic framework. For any future rounds of QT, the Treasury and Bank should commit to revisiting whether it would be …

Government response. The government rejects the recommendation to exclude indemnity payments from fiscal rules, stating substantial fiscal costs should not be ignored. It also explains that a deferred asset approach for accounting profits and losses is not feasible due to the UK's …
HM Treasury

Correspondence

5 letters
DateDirectionTitle
12 Jan 2024 From cttee Letter to Bank of England relating to Cashflows arising from quantitative easin…
12 Jan 2024 From cttee Letter to HM Treasury, Permanent Secretary relating to Cashflows arising from q…
12 Jan 2024 To cttee Letter from Bank of England relating to Cashflows arising from quantitative eas…
12 Jan 2024 To cttee Letter from HM Treasury, Permanent Secretary relating to Cashflows arising from…
21 Mar 2023 Correspondence from the Bank of England relating to the inquiry into Quantitati…