HC Deb 07 April 1971 vol 815 cc217-9W
Mr. Miscampbell

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) from information available from international sources, how much the proportion of the national income of Luxembourg devoted to capital expenditure on education increased between 1960 and the most recent year for which statistics are available; and how this compares with the figures for the United Kingdom over the same period;

(2) from information available from international sources, how much the pro- portion of the national income of the Netherlands devoted to capital expenditure on education increased between 1960 and the most recent year for which statistics are available; and how this compares with the figures for the United Kingdom over the same period;

(3) from information available from international sources, how much the proportion of the national income of Belgium devoted to capital expenditure on education increased between 1960 and the most recent year for which statistics are available; and how this compares with the United Kingdom over the same period;

(4) from information available from international sources, how much the proportion of the national income of Italy devoted to capital expenditure on education increased between 1960 and the most recent year for which statistics are available; and how this compares with the United Kingdom over the same period;

(5) from information available from international sources, how much the proportion of the national income of France devoted to capital expenditure on education increased between 1960 and the most recent year for which statistics are available; and how this compares with the figures for the United Kingdom over the same period;

(6) from information available from international sources, how much the proportion of the national income of West Germany devoted to capital expenditure on education increased between 1960 and the most recent year for which statistics are available; and how this compares with the figures for the United Kingdom over the same period;

(7) from information available from international sources, how much the proportion of the national incomes of the European Economic Community devoted to capital expenditure on education increased between 1960 and the most recent year for which statistics are available; and how this compares with the figures for the United Kingdom over the same period.

Mr. van Straubenzee

From figures in the U.N.E.S.C.O. Year Book 1969, the percentages of gross national product devoted to public capital expenditure on education in 1960 and 1967 by the United Kingdom and by the Common Market Countries were as follows:

Percentage of g.n.p.
1960 1967
West Germany 0.9 0.9
France 0.6 0.6
Italy 0.4 0.1
Netherlands 1.3 1.4
Belgium 0.5 0.4
Luxembourg not available 1.2
Common Market Countries 0.7 0.6
United Kingdom 0.6 1.0
The education systems of the various countries have salient differences which can affect the comparability of these figures. Care must be exercised in any use made of them.