§ Mr. Knoxasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the total of the National Debt; and, from information available from international sources, how this compares on a per capita basis with the equivalent figures for the member countries of the European Economic Community.
§ Mr. Higgins£33,425 million (provisional) at 31st March, 1971, equivalent to some £600 per head. This total is in nominal terms and includes substantial United Kingdom official holdings. The table below gives sterling equivalents per head of the latest available figures for E.E.C. countries.
190W
Total national debt per head Date £ Belgium … 460 end-1969 France … 150 end-July, 1970 Germany … 250 end-1969 Italy … 310 end-1968 Netherlands … 280 end-1969 Great caution is needed in interpreting these figures. There are large differences in the structure and size of the public sectors in various countries, and in the definition of debt, which affect the comparability of these figures. The definitions of debt are the same as in the Bank of England Quarterly Bulletin, March, 1970, page 57.