§ Mr. Brothertonasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the United Kingdom's GNP is currently being spent on debt interest; and how this proportion compares with each of the OECD countries.
§ Mr. Joel BarnettI assume that the hon. Gentleman is referring to public sector debt interest. Debt interest payments by the United Kingdom public sector in 1975 amounted to 4.8 per cent. of gross national product at factor cost. Fully comparable figures for other countries are not available.