HC Deb 25 May 1965 vol 713 cc230-1
Q3. Mr. Sheldon

asked the Prime Minister if he will arrange for up-to-date sample statistics to be made available to Government Departments.

The Prime Minister

Government Departments are well aware of the need to obtain up-to-date information and already make extensive use of sampling methods for this purpose, but I am always ready to consider improvements.

Mr. Sheldon

Is my right hon. Friend aware that of the errors of the previous Government that of not knowing what was happening in the important field of exports and production last year was among the most grievous? Is my right hon. Friend further aware that sample statistics can materially assist here and enable the Government to make rather better predictions, and take rather better action, than were previously made?

The Prime Minister

I go along with my hon. Friend in certain of his comments. I think that the facts are fairly generally known. They did not seem to get through. Having said that, I agree with my hon. Friend that there are still very serious deficiencies in central Government statistics, particularly in relation to future export prospects and also, I think, in relation to production matters. There was very strong criticism by the Radcliffe Committee, which reported in 1959 on the adequacy of financial statistics. In all the years since then not enough has been done to improve the adequacy of financial statistics. Whether sampling will help in that case would be a rather difficult question to answer.

Mr. Stratton Mills

Could the Prime Minister say what statistics the Chancellor of the Exchequer was using on Thursday evening when he said that the credit squeeze had not yet really started?

The Prime Minister

All the statistics that are at present available. It is certainly the case—this is one of the matters which is being gone into as a matter of urgency—that the figures for bank advances, which was the basis for the last decision about special deposits, were part of the field referred to by the Radcliffe Report as quite inadquate for modern purposes.