§ 36. Mr. Hordernasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the volume of consumer expenditure since 1st January, 1968 is in line with his Department's forecasts.
§ Mr. DiamondMy Department's forecast is concerned with the underlying trend of personal consumption, but anticipatory buying in advance of the Budget is taken into account as are other causes of short-term fluctuation around the trend.