§ 47. Mr. Haleasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury the total of the actual Budget expenditure and of revenue received as at 31st December, 1951; what are the reasons for the large increase of deficit to date; and what steps are to be taken to deal with this.
§ The Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Mr. John Boyd-Carpenter)The hon. Member will find the figures in the Exchequer return published on 1st January. In reply to the rest of the Question, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer is not prepared to anticipate the examination of this year's out-turn which will form part of his consideration of the next Budget.
§ Mr. HaleDoes that answer mean that the Financial Secretary to the Treasury is just as ashamed of giving figures as the Chancellor showed himself to be in answers today? Is it not a fact that the deficit has greatly increased and that the whole thing shows an appalling miscalculation? The first Budget has been followed by increased unemployment, reduced purchasing value of the £, reduced National Savings and an increased deficit. Do the Government propose to produce another like it?
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterThe hon. Member would be ill-advised to draw that large number of conclusions from the events of a year not yet concluded.
§ Mr. GaitskellAre we to take it from the answer that the Government have no anxiety whatever about the discrepancies so far between the Budget estimates and the actual out-turn?
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterThat is another question.