Economists give evidence to Treasury Committee

• Video and Audio: Financial Institutions evidence session
• Treasury Committee

Appearing before the Committee from the London School of Economics are:

• Professor Charles Goodhart
• Professor John Kay

At the height of the financial crisis, the Government authorised a massive injection of public funds to rescue ailing private financial institutions in order to prevent a collapse of the financial system.

There is general agreement of the need to minimise the risk of this re-occurring both because of the cost to the public purse, and because, for many commentators, the implicit assumption that Governments will step in to support private financial institutions that are simply 'too important to fail' will drive excessive risk taking such as that which created the crisis.

The Committee will take evidence on the extent to which the structure of the current financial system should be reformed, and certain activities regulated, on the grounds of systemic risk.