§ Mr. Speedasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the latest official financial forecasts for expenditure on the gross domestic product, personal incomes and savings, and the balance of payments.
§ Mr. Harold LeverNo.
Mr. Fred Evansasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will state his estimate of the outturn of public expenditure in 1968–69 on a basis consistent with the White Paper, Public Expenditure in 1968–69 and 1969–70, Command Paper No. 3515.
§ Mr. Roy JenkinsThe target of public expenditure for 1968–69 laid down in Cmnd. 3515 and revalued at 1968 Survey prices is £15,746 million. This includes the £31 million cost of the 1968 Farm Price Review, as published in the 196869 Financial Statement (House of Commons paper 151 of 19th March, 1968, Table 5). With one-third of the financial year still to go, it is clearly impossible to be completely sure of the outturn. My latest assessment of public expenditure in 1968–69 is £15,718 million at 1968 Survey prices; that is, almost exactly in line with Cmnd. 3515.