§ 31. Mr. Maurice Macmillanasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has for improving the presentation of the annual balance of payments as well as the monthly and quarterly components.
§ Mr. Harold LeverI am aware of certain disadvantages in the existing presentation of the balance of payments, particularly in the division between long-term and short-term capital. Alternative methods of presentation are being considered, but these would apply to yearly and quarterly data only.
§ Mr. MacmillanWill the Financial Secretary accept that he must try to keep the yearly version of the figures more consistent with each other? The 1967 balance of long-term capital movements, for example, when first published in March, 1969, in Economic Trends, showed minus £26 million and when published on 28th March this year, a yeas later, it showed minus £116 million. That is a very wide variation between two figures which presented the same reality. Could the hon. Gentleman give an assurance that this will be looked into, as well as the major presentation?
§ Mr. LeverCertainly, but this collection of figures some time after the event is one of the unfortunate necessities which have afflicted every Government statistician.