Balance of Payments

HC Deb 07 July 1988 vol 136 c717W

Ms. Quin

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give, for each year since 1983, the annual balance of payments figure; and if he will indicate what his estimate is now for the current year.

Mr. Major

I give the historical figures as follows:

	Current account balances
	£ billion
1983	3.7
1984	2.0
198S	3.3
1986	0.1
1987	-1.6

Source: DTI Monthly Review of External Trade Statistics.

As my right hon. Friend has already said, recent figures suggest that the current account deficit in 1988 will be larger than the £4 billion forecast at the time of the Budget.