§ 55. Mr. Wingfield Digbyasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what was the final estimate for the combined gross domestic product of the Colonial Territories for 1958; whether he can now give an estimate for the first six months of 1959; and what annual rate of increase these figures represent, respectively.
§ Mr. J. AmeryThe present, but not necessarily the final, estimate for 1958 is£2,835 million. Half-yearly estimates are not practicable, since they are not made by the larger Colonial Territories whose more detailed estimates form the bulk of a final total. As all the figures are estimates, the rate of increase is more reliably calculated over a period of years. Since 1953 the average annual rate of increase has been about 7 per cent., or 5–6 per cent. if allowance is made for rising prices.