§ 22. Mr. Luceasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is satisfied with the current level of public expenditure.
§ Mr. Joel BarnettI have nothing to add to the answer my right hon. Friend gave to the hon. Member for Eastbourne (Mr. Gow) on 14th October.—[Vol. 917, c. 602.]
§ 25. Mr. Kenneth Lewisasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is satisfied that the target for cuts in Government expenditure already announced will be met.
§ Mr. Joel BarnettYes.
§ 27. Mr. Maurice Macmillanasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the likely effect on the exchange rates of announcing a credibly phased programme for reducing public expenditure by £1,000 million per annum.
§ Mr. Joel BarnettIt is not possible to make a sensible estimate of the effect on sterling of hypothetical suggestions of this kind.
§ 31. Mr. Clemitsonasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the level of public expenditure in the United Kingdom according to the latest available statistics, expressed as a percentage of the gross domestic product.
§ Mr. Joel Barnett52 per cent. This is the ratio of total expenditure as now defined for public expenditure surveys and White Papers to GDP at factor cost.
§ Mr. Lawsonasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish figures of total public expenditure as a percentage of gross domestic product for each of the years 1963–64 to 1975–76 on the basis of the new presentation recommended by Treasury witnesses to the 243W General Sub-Committee of the Expenditure Committee.
§ Mr. Joel BarnettI shall let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.
§ Mr. Maurice Macmillanasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish in the Official Report the ratio of total public expenditure to gross domestic product for each year since 1959–60 on the basis of the Treasury's recommendations to the Select Committee on Public Expenditure.
§ Mr. Joel Barnett, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 8th November 1976; Vol. 919, c. 68], circulated the following details:
The available figures relate to the calendar years 1959 to 1975 and are as follows:
PUBLIC EXPENDITURE* AS A PROPORTION OF GDP AT FACTOR COST (PER CENT.) 1959 38.0 1960 37.6 1961 38.2 1962 38.8 1963 38.6 1964 38.8 1965 40.3 1966 41.2 1967 45.1 1968 46.1 1969 45.0 1970 44.6 1971 44.2 1972 45.0 1973 45.1 1974 49.7 1975 51.8 * Public expenditure on the basis to be used in the next Public Expenditure White Paper.