§ 19. Mr. Michael Lathamasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress is being made towards the fulfilment of the demand management intentions of his Budget.
§ Mr. HealeyThe Budget strategy was designed to facilitate recovery from the three-day week, the resumption of steads and sustainable growth and a switch of resources from domestic demand to exports within the overall pattern of demand. The available information on the main items of expenditure goes little beyond the end of the first quarter, but such as it is it shows good recovery from the loss of output at the beginning of the year, a good rise in export demand, a strong brake on the volume of imports and a level of personal consumption compatible with that in the Budget estimate for the first half year.