HC Deb 07 November 1966 vol 735 cc232-3W
Mr. Dean

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the gross national product in 1965, 1960, 1950 and 1939 was accounted for by expenditure on the social services; and how this proportion was divided between the different social services, with separate figures for expenditure from public funds and private expenditure by individuals.

Mr. MacDermot

The information is given in the table below for the years 1950, 1960 and 1965. I regret that comparable figures for 1939 are not available. The classification of social services is that used in Table 53 of the 1966 Blue Book on National Income and Expenditure.

EXPENDITURE ON THE SOCIAL SERVICES AS A PERCENTAGE OF GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT AT FACTOR COST
1950 1960 1965
Education (all public expenditure) 3.0 4.0 5.1
National Health Service 4.1 4.0 4.2
of which,
public expenditure 4.1 3.8 4.1
payments by persons using the service — 0.2 0.1
Local welfare services 0.1 0.2 0.3
of which,
public expenditure 0.1 0.2 0.2
payments by persons using the service — — 0.1
Child care (all public expenditure) 0.1 0.1 0.1
School meals, milk, welfare foods 0.7 0.5 0.6
of which,
public expenditure 0.6 0.4 0.4
payments by persons using the service 0.1 0.1 0.2
National Insurance, benefits and assistance 5.7 6.5 7.8
Total social services 13.7 15.3 18.1
of which,
public expenditure 13.6 15.0 17.7
payments by persons using the services 0.1 0.3 0.4