§ Sir Gilbert Longdenasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer by what criteria he measures the country's growth rate.
§ Mr. NottThe growth rate generally means the rate of increase in the production of goods and services, which is 75W measured by gross domestic product—GDP. Estimates of GDP are not fully up-to-date, so that other evidence of growth, such as changes in unemployment and the rise in industrial production and retail sales, is sometimes used to help in assessing the current rate. The growth rate does not directly measure welfare or the standard of living but in the long run these can only be increased by a rapid growth rate such as we are achieving at present.