Headline Comparisons

• Central government current receipts in January were 12.4% higher than in the same month last year. The Office for Budget Responsibility's (OBR) Economic and Fiscal Outlook forecast an increase in receipts relative to last year's levels of 8.9% for the year as a whole and of 8.9% for the period from November 2010 to March 2011. The latest figures show an increase relative to last year's level of 8.4% for the year to date, with an 7.2% increase between November 2010 and January 2011 compared to the same three months last year.

• Central government current spending in January was 4.3% higher than in the same month last year. The OBR's latest forecast implies an increase relative to last year's level of 5.4% for the year as a whole and of 4.4% for the period from November 2010 to March 2011. The latest figures show an increase relative to last year's level of 6.9% for the year to date, with an increase of 5.7% between November 2010 and January 2011 compared to the same three months last year.

• Public sector net investment in January was £4.7bn, compared to £5.4bn spent in January 2010. Together, public sector net investment over the first ten months of this financial year has been £28.1bn, which is 20.8% lower than in the same months of 2009−10. The OBR's latest forecast was that net investment in 2010-11 would be £42.3bn, which is 9.4% below last year's level.

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