Public Expenditure

HC Deb 17 March 1978 vol 946 cc408-9W

Mr. Lawson

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing, for each of the items of public expenditure specified in Table 5.2 of Volume II of the current public expenditure White Paper, Command Paper No. 7049 (a) planned expenditure for 1977–78 on the basis of the previous year's public expenditure White Paper, Command Paper No. 6721, (b) the estimated outturn for 1977–78 on the latest available basis, and (c) the difference between planned expenditure and estimated outturn in 1977–78 for each of the items specified, using 1977 survey prices throughout.

Mr. Joel Barnett,

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 15th March 1978], gave the following information:

In the table reproduced below the estimated outturn for 1977–78 is that published in Cmnd. 7049. It is thus consistent with table 5.7 of the White Paper.

PUBLIC EXPENDITURE BY ECONOMIC CATEGORY 1977–78 OUTTURN COMPARED WITH PLAN
	£ million at 1977 survey prices
	Planned expenditure in Cmnd. 6721	Estimated outturn	Difference (b)—(a)
	(a)	(b)	(c)
Current expenditure—
Wages and salaries	17,787	17,762	—25
Other current expenditure on goods and services	9,642	9,411	—231
Subsidies	3,334	3,557	+223
Current grants to persons	14,700	14,650	—50
Current grants to private bodies	1,095	976	—119
Current grants abroad	1,140	1,034	—106
Total excluding debt interest	47,697	47,389	—308
Capital expenditure—
Gross domestic fixed capital formation	5,339	5,116	—223
Increase in value of stocks	55	83	+28
Capital grants	1,375	1,485	+110
Net lending to the private sector	99	—26	—125
Net lending to nationalised industries and some other public corporations	1,235	727	—508
Net lending to overseas governments	102	59	—43
Drawings from United Kingdom subscriptions to international lending bodies	142	142	—
Other net lending and investment abroad	415	—109	—524
Cash expenditure on company securities (net)	—493	—556	—63
Capital transfers abroad	6	10	+4
Total	8,275	6,931	—1,344
Contingency reserve	750	—	—750
Total	56,722	54,320	—2,402
Debt interest	2,500	1,900	—600
Total	59,222	56,220	—3,002