§ Mr. Gouldasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether in the first nine months of 1976, export prices for manufactures rose in percentage terms as much as the percentage devaluation of the £ sterling over the same period; and what effect this has had on the profitability of exports in comparison with the profitability of home production.
208WGreat Britain, France, West Germany, Holland, Belgium, Italy, Denmark, Ireland, and Luxembourg, respectively at the latest available date.
§ Mr. Denzil DaviesFollowing are the figures, in respect of general Government interest payments and expenditure; other countries do not in general use the concept of a public sector, including public corporations:
§ Mr. Robert SheldonExport prices for manufactures rose 17.1 per cent. between January and September according to provisional estimates, whilst the effective exchange rate of sterling fell 16.6 per cent. Over the same period United Kingdom wholesale price of manufactures rose 10.2 per cent., suggesting that exporting was becoming increasingly profitable compared to selling on the home market.