§ Mr. MorganTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what is the percentage rate of growth of business investment for each year from 1979 to 1989 on the assumption that all firms transferred from the public sector to the private sector in the decade had been in the private sector from before 1979;
(2) what is the percentage rate of growth of capital investment for each year from 1979 to 1989 on the assumption that all firms transferred from the public sector to the private sector in the decade had been in the private sector from before 1979;
(3) what is the year by year rate of growth of (a) business investment in the United Kingdom for each year 1979 to 1989, (b) business investment in the United Kingdom for each year 1979 to 1989, excluding all investment by firms transferred from the public sector to the private sector during the decade, (c) capital 830W investment by manufacturing industry in the United Kingdom for each year from 1979 to 1989 and (d) capital investment by manufacturing industry from 1979 to 1989, excluding all firms transferred from the public sector to the private sector during the decade.
§ Mr. Norman Lamont[holding answer 7 November 1989]: For reasons of confidentiality, information of the kind requested relating to the movement of firms between sectors cannot be published. Estimates of total investment in fixed capital of public and private sector investment and of investment by manufacturing industry are given in chapter 13 of the 1989 edition of "United Kingdom National Accounts". Estimates, from 1979, of business investment in total are at current prices. They are given in the table.
Business investment 1 at current market prices, annual per cent, growth rates Per cent. 1979 17.6 1980 11.6 1981 -0.3 1982 6.8 1983 5.1 1984 13.4 1985 12.8 1986 3.1 1987 15.8 1988 22.1 1 Business investment is defined as private sector and public corporations gross domestic fixed capital formation excluding purchases less sales of land and existing buildings and private sector investment in dwellings.