Mrs. Hillasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the total estimated expenditure on the social services in the year 1958–59 by the Exchequer, the National Insurance Fund and the local authorities, respectively.
§ Mr. SimonI regret that comprehensive figures for 1958–59 are not yet available. Provisional figures for 1957–58 are as follows:
TOTAL CURRENT AND CAPITAL EXPENDITURE ON SOCIAL SERVICES IN THE UNITED KINGDOM £ million 1957–58 1. Central Government … 1,717.1 2. National Insurance Funds … 796.8 3. Local authorities … 1,255.2 4. Total-consolidated … 3,145.5 Notes
1. The figures of expenditure on lines 1 to 3 include grants by one public authority to another—e.g., by the central Government to local authorities. The figures on line 4 are the consolidated total expenditure by all public authorities, from which duplication has been eliminated.
2. The figures follow the definitions used in the table of expenditure on the social services, published each year in the May issue of the Monthly Digest of Statistics. Detailed figures for 1957–58 and earlier years will appear in the May, 1958, issue.
Mrs. Hillasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the estimated percentage of central Government revenue devoted to current expenditure on the social services in 1958–59.
§ Mr. SimonI regret that figures are not yet available for 1958–59; but in 1957–58 current expenditure on social services was equal to just over 31 per cent. of ordinary revenue.
Mrs. Hillasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the estimated percentage of the national income spent by all public authorities on the social services in 43W 1958–59; and the corresponding figures for the years 1951–52, 1956–57, and 1957–58.
§ Mr. SimonI regret that estimates for 1958–59 are not yet available. For each of the years 1951, 1956 and 1957 current and capital expenditure by all public authorities on the social services, expressed as a percentage of the national income, was approximately the same at about 17¾ per cent. Estimates of the national income for financial years are not at present available, and the figures have therefore been given for calendar years.