§ Mr. Meacherasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what he estimates has been, respectively, the level of purchase of goods and services and the level of borrowing by central and local government from the private sector for each year since 1945.
§ Mr. Nott, pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 19th October 1973; Vol. 861, c. 336], gave the following information:
As far as is possible from readily available information, the figures requested are tabulated below for combined public authorities—central and local government. Information is not available for the first few years since 1945.
385WColumn (A) relates to the component "other payments" of total current expenditure on goods and services at current prices, as given in Table 44 of National Income and Expenditure 1973. Thus expenditure on wages and salaries, certain other wage costs and imputed rents are not included. The figures provided relate to purchases of goods and services from all sectors; estimates of the proportion of these purchases made from the United Kingdom private sector are not regularly compiled, but in the financial year 1968–69 this proportion was just over 80 per cent.
Column (B) relates to total gross domestic fixed capital formation at current prices less expenditure on wages
COMBINED PUBLIC AUTHORITIES £ million Current expenditure on goods and services: "other payments" Expenditure on capital formation excluding wages and salaries Total (A) plus (B) Borrowing from the private sector (A) (B) (C) (D) 1952 … N.A. N.A. N.A. 858 1953 … 1,539 802 2,341 760 1954 … 1,513 735 2,248 448 1955 … 1,474 730 2,204 399 1956 … 1,553 761 2,314 447 1957 … 1,573 787 2,360 590 1958 … 1,534 760 2,294 853 1959 … 1,644 802 2,446 548 1960 … 1,716 821 2,537 825 1961 … 1,873 880 2,753 690 1962 … 1,999 991 2,990 898 1963 … 2,037 1,063 3,100 701 1964 … 2,121 1,344 3,465 340 1965 … 2,325 1,430 3,755 1,071 1966 … 2,475 1,617 4,092 518 1967 … 2,749 1,889 4,638 1,340 1968 … 2,839 2,095 4,934 237 1969 … 2,756 2,167 4,923 149 1970 … 2,941 2,374 5,315 1,254 1971 … 3,296 2,488 5,784 4,015 1972 … 3,747 2,760 6,507 319 Sources: National Income and Expenditure 1973, Tables 38, 42 and 44. Financial Statistics (e.g. Tables 18 and 29 in September 1973 issue). Bank of England Historical Abstract, 1970.