The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecast for growth in 2013 has been upgraded from 0.6% to 1.4%.

For 2014, it was upgraded from 1.8% to 2.4%.

The OBR forecast of growth for the four years from 2015 has been forecast at 2.2%, 2.6%, 2.7% and 2.7%.

Employment will rise by 400,000 in 2013, says the OBR. Unemployment forecast to fall from 7.6% this year to 7% in 2015, and 5.6% by 2018.

The new principle that people should spend one-third of adult life in retirement implies an increase in state pension age to 68 in mid-2030s and 69 in late 2040s.

State pension to rise by £2.95 a week from next April.

Pensioners will be offered the opportunity to make voluntary National Insurance contributions to boost retirement income.

A planned 2p-a-litre tax rise on petrol is cancelled.

A package of measures to tackle tax avoidance, evasion, fraud and error is expected to raise more than £9 billion over the next five years.

A new £1000 transferable tax allowance for married couples from April 2015 will be "just a start".

Rolling back green levies will take an average £50 off energy bills.

Employer national insurance contributions for workers aged under 21 will be removed.