Balance of Payments (White Paper)

HC Deb 16 February 1954 vol 523 cc1814-5

50. Mr. Gaitskell

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will include in the next balance of payments White Paper a statement showing the balance of payments between the sterling area and the rest of the world.

Mr. R. A. Butler

A United Kingdom estimate of the net balance of payments between the sterling area and the rest of the world in 1951 and 1952 was given on page eight of the Economic Survey for 1953 (Cmd. 8800). I expect the next survey to contain a similar estimate for 1953.

Mr. Gaitskell

The Question I asked was about the balance of payments White Paper. Would the Chancellor please consider this again? He publishes in the White Paper the balance of payments of the sterling area with the dollar area and with the European Payments Union, and I should have thought that there would be no difficulty about adding the rest of the world.

Mr. Butler

These details are primarily concerned with the balance of payments of the United Kingdom, and if the right hon. Gentleman obtains the information that he wants in the Economic Survey I should have thought that that would be satisfactory. It would be difficult to fulfil his exact demand but he will certainly get the information.