§ Mr. John Mooreasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing for 1977 and 1978 (a) the total overseas debt of the United Kingdom, (b) the total overseas debt of the United Kingdom per family and (c) the total overseas debt of the United Kingdom per capita.
§ Mr. Robert Sheldon,pursuant to the reply of the Chief Secretary [Official Report 6 February 1979; Vol. 962, c. 149], gave the following information:
I assume that the hon. Member is interested in the overseas liabilities of Her Majesty's Government and United Kingdom public sector bodies. Overseas liabilities in both foreign currency and sterling at the end of 1977 was £18,144 million, representing £324 per capita. Figures for the end of 1978 are not yet available. The figure for the end of September 1978, excluding any allowance for changes in market values for British Government stocks and local authorities' securities and mortgages since the end of 1977, was £16,837 million, representing £301 per capita; the comparable figure for the end of 1977 was £17,466 million, representing £312 per capita. Estimates of total debt per family, or per household, 424W have not been provided as this would require allocation between the household and non-household population on some arbitrary basis.