§ Mr. Ernie Rossasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the percentage value of Government expenditure of the gross national product in 1970 and at the latest available date in: West Germany, Italy, France, Belgium, Austria, the Netherlands, the Republic of Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. BiffenThe information requested is given in the table below:
GENERAL GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE* AS A PERCENTAGE OF GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT AT MARKET PRICES 1970 1977 West Germany 35.9 44.4 Italy 35.2 46.2 France 38.3 43..9 Belgium 36.2 46.1 Austria 37.9 45.1 Netherlands 44.2 55.7 Ireland 37.4 47.2† Denmark N.A. N.A. Sweden 43.2 60.5 Norway 41.1 52.3 United Kingdom 37.6 44.2 * Expenditure by central and local government combined, excluding capital transfers, loans and expenditure on the acquisition of company securities, for which figures on an internationally comparable basis are not available. †1976. Source: National accounts of OECD countries 1960–77 volume II.