HC Deb 08 April 1925 vol 182 cc2270-4W
Mr. BENNETT

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury the amount per head of the population expended in respect of each of the public services

STATEMENT showing the net amount expended by the State in respect of each of the public services undertaken or contributed to by the State in 1913–14 and 1923–24 respectively, and the same divided by the total population.
(See notes below).
— 1913–14. 1923–24.
Net Expenditure Per head of population. Net Expenditure Per head of population.
£ millions. £ s. d. £ millions. £ s. d.
Consolidated Fund Services.
1. National Debt Services 24,500 10 8½ 347,309 8 0 4¼
2. Payments for Northern Ireland Residuary Share, etc. — — 3,967 1 10
3. Road Fund 1,395 7½ 14,090 6 6
4. Payments to Local Taxation Accounts 9,734 4 3 13,663 6 3¾
5. Land Settlement — — 1,209 0 6¾
6. Other Consolidated Fund Services 884 4¾ 1,939 0 10¾
Total Consolidated Fund Services 36,513 15 11¾ 382,177 8 16 5½
Fighting Services.
7. Army 32,812 14 4¼ 47,002 1 1 8½
8. Navy 49,149 1 1 6 54,849 1 5 3¾
9. Air — — 10,773 4 11¾
Total Fighting Services 81,961 1 15 10¼ 112,624 2 12 0
Civil Services.
10. Education 19,499 8 6¼ 47,494 1 1 11
11. Old Age Pensions 12,869 5 7½ 24,013 11 1
12. Unemployment Insurance and Unemployment Grants (excluding grants from the Road Fund). 602 3¼ 15,563 7 2¼
13. Health (including Health Insurance) and Housing. 5,203 2 3¼ 19,749 9 1½
14. Police 1,626 8½ 6,407 2 11½
15. Foreign and Colonial Services (excluding Mandated Territories—in item 19—and overseas settlement in item 22). 1,648 8¾ 7,579 3 6
16. Agriculture, including Development Fund. 722 3¾ 3,558 1 7¾
17. Services in connection with Ireland (1923–24). — — 8,519 3 11¼
18. War Pensions — — 73,834 1 14 1
19. Mandated Territories and Middle East. — — 7,836 3 7½
20. Training, Education and Resettlement of Ex-Service men, including losses on Land Settlement. 5,222 2 5
21. Other Services arising out of the War — — 3,459 1 7¼
22. Other new services since 1913–14 — — 2,259 1 0½
23. General Civil Services 7,276 3 2¼ 8,208 3 9½
Total Civil Services 49,445 1 1 7½ 233,700 5 7 11

undertaken or contributed to by the State in 1913 and in 1923, respectively.

Mr. GUINNESS

, in pursuance of his answer [OFFICIAL REPORT, 7th April, 1925, col. 2062] supplied the following tables:

— 1913–14. 1923–24.
Net Expenditure. Per head of population. Net Expenditure. Per head of population.
£ millions. £ s. d. £ millions. £ s. d.
Revenue Departments.
24. Customs and Inland Revenue 4,703 2 0¾ 11,242 5 2¼
25. Post Office 24,486 10 8½ 46,669 1 1 6½
26. Ireland—Customs, Inland Revenue and Post Office (1923–24). — — 983 5½
Total Revenue Departments 29,189 12 9¼ 58,893 1 7 2¼
GRAND TOTAL 197,108 4 6 2¾ 787,394 18 3 6¾

NOTES.

1. The figures for Net Expenditure represent the expenditure by the State under all heads attributable to the services Shown, less receipts, whether appropriated in aid of Votes or paid over to the Exchequer, attributable to those services; but in the case of the Post Office and the other Revenue Departments a deduction has not been made for revenue receipts.

2. The Net Expenditure figures for 1913–14 include Ireland and the expenditure per head of population is based on the population of Great Britain and Ireland. Most of the Irish services were transferred before 1923–24. The Net Expenditure figures for 1923–24 relate to Great Britain only (except as stated below) and the expenditure per head of population is based on the population of Great Britain only. Those Irish services (mostly transitory) which were chargeable to the British Exchequer in that year are shown separately. A small part of the 1923–24 expenditure in connection with Ireland shown under Civil Services and the whole of such expenditure shown under Revenue Departments relates to Reserved Services in Northern Ireland and is recoverable, with minor statutory exceptions, by deduction from the Northern Ireland share of reserved taxes.