§ Mr. Owenasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the average amount of the floating Government debt in the years 1945 to 1950 and in the years 1956 to 1961; and what was the average rate of interest in each case.
§ Mr. BarberThe figures are set out in the table below.
Financial Year Average outstanding floating debt (calculated on a weekly basis) Average rate of interest £ million Per cent. 1945–46 … 6,474 0.84 1946–47 … 6,569 0.52 1947–48 … 6477 0.49 1948–49 … 6,348 0.49 1949–50 … 6,003 0.50 1945–50 … 6,374 0.57 1956–57 … 4,939 3.54 1957–58 … 5,036 3.60 1958–59 … 5,164 2.78 1959–60 … 5,489 2.59 1960–61 … 5,496 3.46 1956–61 … 5,225 318