Balance of Payments

HC Deb 22 July 1970 vol 804 cc150-1W

Mr. Hicks

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proposals he has for improving the preservation of the balance of payments.

Mr. Higgins

When the "Pink Book" on the United Kingdom Balance of Payments is published in early September by the Central Statistical Office it will contain some new tables on similar lines to the special analyses published by the previous Administration in recent quarterly articles on the balance of payments. These tables will place the main emphasis on the balance of the current account, as the main measure of how the country is paying its way overseas, and on the total currency flow resulting from all external transactions, including the current account, investment, trade credit and other capita] flows. The quarterly announcements will, in future, follow the same pattern.