Threads / Fiscal Risks and Sustainability / Improvements to the transparency of information in the WGA …
Committee Material Published 14 Oct 2022 ↗ View on Parliament

Improvements to the transparency of information in the WGA would also be achieved through more detailed narrative in certain areas. The asset and liability split reported in the WGA shows total assets of £2,138.5 billion and total liabilities of £4,972.7 billion.68 In a commercial organisation this would indicate that it was insolvent. Although this is not the case, there is currently no narrative to explain this. The Treasury explained that the Government’s ability to raise future funds thro...

Improvements to the transparency of information in the WGA would also be achieved through more detailed narrative in certain areas. The asset and liability split reported in the WGA shows total assets of £2,138.5 billion and total liabilities of £4,972.7 billion.68 In a commercial organisation this would indicate that it was insolvent. Although this is not the case, there is currently no narrative to explain this. The Treasury explained that the Government’s ability to raise future funds through taxation and borrowing is a very important asset which is not currently captured in the WGA and is outside the scope of the accounts.69 64 Q 79 65 Q Type: conclusion | Number: 22 | Response status: not_addressed Government response: 5. PAC conclusion: The content of the Whole of Government Accounts has improved but does not transparently report against all key areas of government spending. 5. PAC recommendation: The Treasury should continue to improve the content of the WGA, with specific ref