Treasury officials say they do not expect any nasty surprises in the figures which could spook bond markets, as the forecast matches the private sector consensus.
As evidence mounts that the economy hit a trough last October and has since begun to recover, economists are confident the OBR will raise its 0.7% forecast for 2012 a touch to about 0.8% and will not predict a technical recession of two consecutive quarters of negative growth.
Slightly faster growth forecasts from the OBR without any changes in its assessment of the potential for the economy to grow will enable Chancellor George Osborne to continue to meet his modified fiscal ambition to eliminate the structural deficit by 2016-2017 after seven years of austerity.
According to the FT, government insiders familiar with the forecasts accept that the figures to be published on Wednesday are extremely close to those in the autumn statement.
