§ Mr. Lawsonasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will now itemise the claims on the contingency reserve attributable to decisions made since the preparation of the public expenditure White Paper for 1978–79 and each subsequent financial year, in particular, the latest estimates for spending proposals included in the latest Budget such as the uprating of child benefits.
§ Mr. Joel BarnettThe main changes since publication of the White Paper to public expenditure programmes for 1978–79—including those announced in the Budget—are set out in the Treasury memorandum published by the Select Committee on Expenditure on 11th May 1978 (HC 92-ii). The child benefit proposals will cost over £500 million in 1979–80 and subsequent years. The financing of this and other measures affecting the later years will be considered in the annual review of public expenditure.