§ 15. Mr. FlanneryTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what was the trade deficit for each of the years 1975 to 1988.
§ Mr. MaudeThe current account deficit was £1.7 billion for 1987. Figures for previous years will be printed in theOfficial Report. However, in the years 1975–1979 there was a cumulative deficit of over £2 billion, while in the years 1980–1986 there was a cumulative surplus of over £23 billion.
Total United Kingdom trade on a BOP basis £ million Year Current account balance 1975 -1,582 1976 -895 1977 -112 1978 +965 1979 -604 1980 +3,035 1981 +6,743 1982 +4,480 1983 +3,753 1984 +2,009 1985 +3,276 1986 +46 1987 -1,679
§ 17. Mr. StottTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is the expenditure per head on industrial 159W research and development; and what information he has as to the comparable figures for the United States, Japan, France and West Germany.
§ Mr. ButcherIn 1985, the latest year for which internationally comparable information is available, expenditure on industrial research and development per head of population in the United Kingdom was £91. Corresponding figures for France, Japan, West Germany and the United States were £88, £126, £133 and £190, respectively. The information is obtained from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development using exchange rates at purchasing power parities calculated by them to convert foreign currencies to sterling. Where the population estimate for 1985 was not available that for the nearest available year has been taken.