§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the size of the national debt in May 1979; and what is the size of the debt on the most recent date for which figures are available.
§ Mr. MacGregorThe national debt, defined as the nominal liabilities of the National Loans Fund, is calculated as at 31 March each year. The national debt at 31 March 1979 stood at £86.9 billion. The provisional cash figure for 31 March 1986 is £171.4 billion. Full details of the national debt are published annually in the Consolidated Fund and National Loans Fund accounts supplementary statements. Those for 1985–86 will be published next month.