§ Mr. Lennox-Boydasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will print in the Official Report a statement of total public expenditure by programme of his 1983–84 plans, including debt interest balanced against a statement of receipts, in the same format as the answer on 23 March 1982, Official Report, c. 331–334, relating to 1982–83.
§ Mr. BrittanMy hon. Friend will be pleased to know that table 5.5 of the recently published Financial Statement and Budget Report contains virtually all of the information that he is seeking. The table shows how the public expenditure plans and public sector gross debt interest in both 1982–83 and 1983–84 are expected to be financed and is a slightly expanded version of the second of the two tables provided on 23 March 1982—[Vol. 39, c.331–334.] The `public corporations transactions' line now comprises all their relevant identifiable transactions. (In the corresponding table published in the Official Report last year, their interest receipts were included in the public sector interest and dividend receipts line and some miscellaneous transactions were included in 'other'.)
The alternative presentation (the first of the two tables provided last year) has the disadvantage that receipts of interest are not shown separately.