HC Deb 22 July 1976 vol 915 cc577-9W
Mr. Woof

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the level of

£ million
1971 1972 1973 1974 1975
CURRENT ACCOUNT
Interest, profits and dividends (public sector) net* -190 -140 -204 -353 -532
Government services and transfers, net -527 -564 -798 -880 -1,010
CAPITAL ACCOUNT
Capital transfers 0 0 -59 -75 0
Intergovernmental loans, net -188 -188 -153 -159 -161
Other official long term capital, net* -85 -67 -99 -116 -125
* Includes public corporations and local authorities.

Further details are available in the Pink Book ("United Kingdom Balsnce of Payments 1964–74"), the next edition of which is due for publication in September. Because of the incomplete coverage already noted, no particular significance can be attached to the ratios of government expenditure overseas, as set out above, to Gross National Product. But the ratios have been as follows:

Percentages
1971 1972 1973 1974 1975
2.01 1.73 2.04 2.14 1.97

The balances on current account for the years 1971 to 1975 have been as follows:

£ million
1971 1972 1973 1974 1975
CURRENT ACCOUNT 1,058 131 -842 -3,611 -1,700

put per person employed for other countries are taken from the 1975 edition of the "Year Book of Labour Statistics" published by the International Labour Office.

Government expenditure abroad in both sterling money terms at the appropriate exchange rate and as a percentage of gross national product for each year since 1971; and what has been the net balance of payments surplus or deficit for each of these years.

Mr. Robert Sheldon

Complete figures for Government expenditure overseas are not available. In particular, it is not possible to identify the extent to which Government expenditure on goods represents imports. Among the latest balance of payments data in the June issue of the CSO's "Economic Trends", however, are the following relevant categories:—

Mr. Woof

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing central Government expenditure, separately administered in 1975, in England, Wales and Scotland.

Mr. Joel Barnett

The table below shows the latest available figures, for 1974–75. The responsibilities of the Secretary of State for Scotland are wider than those of the Secretary of State for Wales. The coverage of the figure shown for England is broadly the same as that for Wales.

CENTRAL GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE IN 1974–75
£ million
Responsibility of Secretary of State Separately administered expenditure
for Scotland for Wales in England
817 262 4,433