§ 4. Mr. Tebbitasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing the changes in net real disposable income per head at constant prices over the previous 10 years to the most recent convenient date.
§ Mr. TebbitIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that his reply is disappointing? I should have liked the figures now because they would show an interesting correlation between the politics of the 569 Governments concerned and the prosperity of the nation. More to the point, will the right hon. Gentleman say what will happen next year?
§ Mr. DellIf the hon. Gentleman had asked for a number of years fewer than 10 it might have been possible to read out the figures in the House, particularly if those figures were included in fewer than four columns. Given the circumstances, I thought that what I have done would be for the convenience of the House.
The hon. Gentleman will find that in 1972 and 1973, at the time when we were running up the largest balance of payments deficit in our history, the expansion of personal disposable income was higher than it was in the previous year. He will be aware that that is an unsatisfactory measure of real increase in income, as he will find if he compares it with the increase in real income of the ordinary worker which was substantially less, because the personal disposable income figures include unearned income which most workers do not enjoy.
§ Mr. TebbitWhat about next year?
§ Following are the figures:
| PERSONAL DISPOSABLE INCOME (BEFORE PROVIDING FOR ADDITIONS TO TAX RESERVES) AT 1970 PRICES, PER HEAD OF POPULATION | |||
| Total | Increase on previous year | ||
| £ | £ | Per cent. | |
| 1964 | 569 | 17 | 3.1 |
| 1965 | 579 | 10 | 1.8 |
| 1966 | 589 | 10 | 1.7 |
| 1967 | 594 | 5 | 0.8 |
| 1968 | 601 | 7 | 1.2 |
| 1969 | 602 | 1 | 0.2 |
| 1970 | 621 | 19 | 3.2 |
| 1971 | 636 | 15 | 2.4 |
| 1972 | 677 | 41 | 6.4 |
| 1973 | 713 | 36 | 5.3 |