§ Mr. Meacherasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if family allowances and child tax allowances were both abolished and replaced by a child endowment scheme paid to all children, including the first, up to the age of 18 years or to the end of full-time secondary education, whichever is sooner, what would be the net cost to the Exchequer if the endowment were, respectively, taxed and untaxed at £1.50, £2, £2.50, £3 and £3.50 per week; and what would be the gain/ loss from the changes to families with one, two, three, four and six children at £1,000, £2,000 and £5,000 annual income levels.
§ Mr. NottI will let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.
1972 Gross national product at market prices per head of total population Gross domestic product at market prices per person employed Expressed in national currencies Expressed in £ sterling equivalent* Expressed in national currencies Expressed in £ sterling equivalent* Belgium … 163,050 francs 1,396 N.A. N.A. Denmark … 29,470 kroner 1,620 60,920 kroner 3,350 France … 19,380 francs 1,454 47,320 francs 3,550 Germany … 13,435 deutschemarks 1,600 30,860 deutschemarks 3,675 Ireland … 735 £ 735 2,075 £ 2,075 Italy … 1,267,700 lira 837 3,552,600 lira 2,345 Luxembourg … 158,380 francs 1,356 N.A. N.A. Netherlands … 11,250 guilder 1,330 31,950 guilder 3,779 United Kingdom† … 1,115 £ 1,115 2,510 £ 2,510 Enlarged EEC … 3,039 EUR 1,266 N.A. N.A. Notes: * Converted at par values or central rates of exchange which do not necessarily reflect differences in the internal purchasing power of national currencies. † Based on latest estimates adjusted to international definitions. N.A.=Not available. EUR=European unit of account. Source: Eurostat General Statistics No. 10 1973, pages 9, 84 and 85.