ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE

HC Deb 04 February 1974 vol 868 cc251-2W

Mr. Michael McNair-Wilson

asked the Prime Minister whether, in view of the changed status of Great Britain in imperial terms, he will give consideration to recommending redesignating the Order of the British Empire as the Order of the British Commonwealth, or more simply the Commonwealth Order.

—the latest available—are published in Table 1 of the National Income and Expenditure Blue Book for 1973. No estimate is available for 1945; figures for the years 1946 to 1950 are as follows:

	£ million
1946	1,476
1947	1,694
1948	1,793
1949	1,843
1950	2,126

Taxes paid by companies are assessed on the basis of their total income and cannot be allocated separately to gross trading profits and other forms of income.

Estimates of dividend and interest payments by companies net of tax deducted at source are available only from 1956. Following is the information:

The Prime Minister

This is a question which has been considered from time to time; but there is no evidence of any strong demand for such a change.