§ Mr. Watkinsonasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the number of jobs which were lost through underspending in planned budgets in the public sector in 1977 and 1976.
§ Mr. Joel BarnettI regret that it is not possible to make a good estimate: while unexpectedly low expenditure would tend to reduce demand, to an extent varying with the type of expenditure, accompanying developments, such as the impact on financial conditions, tend to work in the opposite direction.