Quantitative tightening

Treasury Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 31 Jan 2023 Closed: 1 May 2024 Parliament page
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 … Read more
10 Recommendations
12 Conclusions
1 Report
5 Letters
2 Events
Activity timeline 9 events
18 Apr
2024
Report published
7 Feb
2024
Report published
12 Jan
2024
Correspondence
12 Jan
2024
Correspondence
12 Jan
2024
Correspondence
12 Jan
2024
Correspondence
18 May
2023
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Bank of England (Restricted in-person public access)
18 Apr
2023
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Wilson Room, Portcullis House
21 Mar
2023
Correspondence
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Fifth Report - Quantitative Tightening HC 219 7 Feb 2024 22 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
6 results
Clear
3 Conclusion Acknowledged
Fifth Report - Quantitative Tighte…
Bank of England lacks established long-term strategy for balance sheet size and composition
One area in which the Bank’s strategy is less well established regards the long-term steady-state size and composition of its balance sheet, which may have a bearing on the longer-term conduct of QT and which, as we note later, may … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledges the issues regarding the long-term size and composition of the Bank's balance sheet. They refer to previous communications outlining potential compositions and state that the Treasury is engaging with the Bank on these issues, noting that international central banks are also reviewing their balance sheets and any changes will be communicated when appropriate.
HM Treasury
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8 Recommendation Acknowledged
Fifth Report - Quantitative Tighte…
Prioritise developing a new backstop facility and transparent contingency for suspending Quantitative Tightening.
The Bank is right to work on a new backstop facility to reduce the chance of having to resort to gilt purchases in future, and given that QT is ongoing, it should work on this as a priority. In the … Read more
Government Response
The government outlines the Bank's and FPC's ongoing work to enhance financial stability through private self-insurance, market infrastructure, and liquidity regulation, and mentions facilities to lend to non-bank institutions, emphasizing that financial stability tools can be used without constraining monetary policy decisions for QT.
HM Treasury
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10 Conclusion Acknowledged
Fifth Report - Quantitative Tighte…
Current QE/QT arrangements lack value-for-money scrutiny, unsuitable for vast sums of public money.
Notwithstanding the need to ensure that the programmes are compatible with the operational independence of monetary policy, it strikes us as highly anomalous that decisions have been and are being taken about QE and QT concerning huge sums of public … Read more
Government Response
The Bank recognises the committee's concerns regarding value for money and clarity, stating its operations are designed to maximise value for money by minimising cost and risk over the lifetime of the APF, subject to policy objectives.
HM Treasury
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14 Conclusion Acknowledged
Fifth Report - Quantitative Tighte…
Bank officials hold divergent views on the economic impact of later Quantitative Easing rounds.
It is right to say that the overall effectiveness and value-for-money of QE and QT should be judged by their wider macroeconomic impacts on inflation, growth, and employment, rather than on the direct fiscal costs alone. There is agreement among … Read more
Government Response
The Bank acknowledges the committee's observation on judging QE/QT effectiveness by wider macroeconomic impacts, but emphasizes that ongoing evaluation of monetary policy decisions for value for money would hinder MPC independence, while confirming the framework design remains under review.
HM Treasury
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19 Conclusion Acknowledged
Fifth Report - Quantitative Tighte…
Lack of information on future Bank balance sheet arrangements at steady-state reserves
Some witnesses thought that the remuneration of reserves would need to be reconsidered once reserves had reached their future steady-state level. However, there is a lack of information about future arrangements for the Bank’s balance sheet once the steady-state level … Read more
Government Response
The government clarifies the Bank's arrangements for normalising its balance sheet, detailing the role of liquidity facilities as reserves fall. It states that the Bank is continuing to analyse the optimal steady-state level of reserves for monetary and financial stability.
HM Treasury
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21 Conclusion Acknowledged
Fifth Report - Quantitative Tighte…
QE and QT losses create worrying direct links between monetary and fiscal policy
QE and QT losses, the fiscal rules, the regular remittances of profits arising from QE from the Bank to the Treasury and indemnity payments to cover losses from the Treasury to the Bank interact to create direct and immediate links … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledges that monetary policy decisions have fiscal implications but stresses the importance of the Bank of England's operational independence. It explains that the current arrangements, including the MoU and transparent APF cashflows, are designed to manage these interactions, and that broader economic impacts of QE/QT are also considered.
HM Treasury
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Government Response AI assessment · 22 of 10 classified
Accepted 9
Acknowledged 6
Deferred 1
Not Addressed 1
Rejected 5
Total 10 recs + 12 conclusions
Correspondence 5 letters
12 Jan 2024 From committee Letter to Bank of England relating to Cashflows arising from quantitative easing and tightening, dated 4 December
Parliament page
12 Jan 2024 From committee Letter to HM Treasury, Permanent Secretary relating to Cashflows arising from quantitative easing and tightening, dated 4 December
Parliament page
12 Jan 2024 To committee Letter from Bank of England relating to Cashflows arising from quantitative easing and tightening, dated 18 December
Parliament page
12 Jan 2024 To committee Letter from HM Treasury, Permanent Secretary relating to Cashflows arising from quantitative easing and tightening, dated 15 December
Parliament page
21 Mar 2023 Correspondence from the Bank of England relating to the inquiry into Quantitative Tightening, dated 16 March
Parliament page