§ Mr. Knoxasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing for each year since 1945 the proportion of the gross domestic product devoted to public expenditure in (a) current prices, (b) 1970 prices and (c) 1976 prices.
§ Mr. Denzil DaviesThe information which is available is shown in the table below. Figures for public expenditure at current prices as defined in The Govern-
PUBLIC EXPENDITURE AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE AS A PROPORTION OF THE GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT AT MARKET PRICES Per cent. Public expenditure* General Government expenditure at current prices at current prices at 1970 prices at 1976 prices 1946 … … … … — 45.7 — — 1947 … … … … — 40.3 — — 1948 … … … … — 37.3 — — 1949 … … … … — 35.9 — — 1950 … … … … — 34.8 — — 1951 … … … … — 37.1 — — 1952 … … … … — 37.9 — — 1953 … … … … — 36.5 — — 1954 … … … … — 34.0 — — 1955 … … … … — 33.6 — — 1956 … … … … — 33.9 — — 1957 … … … … — 34.7 — — 1958 … … … … — 34.8 — — 1959 … … … … 33.3 35.1 — — 1960 … … … … 33.1 35.0 — — 1961 … … … … 33.8 35.7 — — 1962 … … … … 34.1 36.3 — — 1963 … … … … 34.0 36.1 — — 1964 … … … … 34.1 36.2 — — 1965 … … … … 35.2 37.4 — — 1966 … … … … 35.6 38.0 39.3 42.3 1967 … … … … 39.0 41.5 42.5 45.9 1968 … … … … 39.6 42.2 42.9 46.2 1969 … … … … 37.9 40.9 41.4 44.6 1970 … … … … 37.7 40.7 40.7 43.9 1971 … … … … 37.7 40.7 40.4 43.5 1972 … … … … 38.6 41.6 41.1 44.2 1973 … … … … 39.2 42.2 40.8 43.8 1974 … … … … 44.6 47.8 44.7 47.8 1975 … … … … 46.8 49.9 46.2 49.5 1976 … … … … 44.8 47.7 44.5 47.7 1977 … … … … 41.3 44.3 42.2 45.3 * Comparable with the financial year figures published in Table 7 of Cmnd. 7049—I but using national accounts data as in Table 2.4 of Financial Statistics. Source: National accounts.
§ Mr. Hugh Jenkinsasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in the Official Report, for the years 195051, 1973–74 and the latest available year, a table showing: (a) the percentage of the total represented by (b) the relative
168Wment's Expenditure Plans, 1978–79 to 1981–82, Cmnd 7049, are available back to 1959, but not for earlier years. Figures of general Government expenditure at current prices are available back to 1946 from the national accounts. Figures for public expenditure as defined in Cmnd 7049 are not readily available at 1970 prices or at 1976 prices. Figures for general Government expenditure at 1970 and at 1976 prices have been estimated back to 1966 from the figures for goods and services which are available from the national accounts, together with figures for other general Government expenditure (loans and transfer payments) revalued by the GDP price index; figures are not readily available for earlier years.
position in the list, of each of the following: military defence, social security, National Health Service, agriculture, housing, education, other industry and trade, transport and communication, external relations, and finance and tax collection.
169W
§ Mr. Denzil Davies,pursuant to his reply of Friday 14th July, gave the following information:
GENERAL GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE ON PARTICULAR SERVICES AS A PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL GENERAL GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE*, WITH RELATIVE RANKINGS IN BRACKETS Per cent 1950 1973 1976 Military defence 21.3 (1) 12.5 (3) 11.8 (4) Social security benefits 16.7 (2) 20.3 (1) 21.5 (1) National health service 11.8 (3) 10.8 (4) 11.8 (3) Agriculture, forestry, fishing and food 9.5 (4) 1.9 (9) 2.3 (7) Housing 8.4 (6) 8.6 (5) 9.9 (5) Education† 9.4 (5) 14.5 (2) 14.1 (2) Other industry and trade 0.2 (10) 6.8 (6) 5.3 (6) Transport and communication 2.2 (9) 2.5 (7) 2.2 (8) External relations 4.4 (7) 2.3 (8) 2.0 (9) Finance and tax collection 2.3 (8) 1.3 (10) 1.5 (10) Total of above services 86.3 81.5 82.4 * Excluding debt interest and, in 1973 and 1976, non.trading capital consumption, which cannot readily be allocated to particular services. † Including child care in 1950. Source: National Income Blue Books.
§ Mr. Lawsonasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set out, for those public spending programmes described in Command Paper No. 7049-II, the projected path of expenditure before deduction of charges or other offsetting revenue: and if he will identify the principal charges and similar sources of revenue in each case and the sums involved for 1973–74, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1980–81 and 1981–82.
§ Mr. Joel Barnett,pursuant to the reply given by the Minister of State [Official Report, 17th July 1978], gave the following information:
A detailed statement of the principal charges netted off public expenditure was annexed to the note by the Treasury "Public Expenditure: Gross or Net Presentation" included in Memorandum on the Control of Public Expenditure published by the General Sub-Committee of the Expenditure Committee (HC 196 (Memoranda) Session 1977–78. Further information is given in the programme chapters in Command Paper No. 7049-II indicating the main sums involved.