§ Mr. Grimondasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if tobacco and alcohol of all sorts figure in the gross national product and statistics of economic growth as calculated by the Government;
(2) if all drugs figure in the gross national product and statistics of growth as calculated by the Government;
(3) if materials for armaments figure in the gross national product and the statistics of economic growth as calculated by the Government;
(4) what, if any, forms of production are excluded from the gross national product and the statistics of growth.
§ Mr. NottEstimates of the gross national product and its rate of growth are intended to cover all forms of production or economic activity which can be given a value which is not wholly arbitrary. In practice this covers mainly the production of goods and services which are exchanged for money and include the value added in the course of producing tobacco and alcohol products, drugs and armaments; the import content of these products does not contribute to the gross national product. Certain goods and services which are not exchanged for money, such as the services of housewives, are not included in the estimates of gross national product. A detailed description of the scope and 157W definition of the United Kingdom's gross national product is given in the HMSO publication "National Accounts Statistics: Sources and Methods".