§ Mr. Parkinasked the Minister of Education if he will give calculations or estimates showing the percentage relation of annual expenditure by local education authorities to total national income at five-yearly intervals going back as far this century as information is available.
§ Sir D. EcclesFollowing is the answer, which has been calculated from the best information available to my Department. Figures for the Gross National Product for years earlier than 1938 have been based on an unofficial estimate. Five-yearly intervals have been preserved as far as the incidence of two wars allows.
Financial year Expenditure by local education authorities expressed as a percentage of the Gross National Product 1908–09 … 1.30 1913–14 … 1.22 1923–24 … 1.67 1928–29 … 1.71 1933–34 … 1.98 1938–39 … 1.83 1946–47 … 1.95 1949–50 … 2.16 1954–55 (estimated) … 2.48