§ 53. Mr. Silvesterasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how the United Kingdom level of productivity compares with each of the member countries of the EEC.
§ Mr. Denzil DaviesThe information that is readily available in the publications of the Statistical Office of the European Community does not yield particularly satisfactory comparisons of levels of productivity between member countries of the EEC, since it takes no account of416W the variation between domestic purchasing powers. However, in 1975—the latest date for which comprehensive data are available—it is clear that the level of productivity in the United Kingdom—measured in terms of gross domestic product at current market prices per head of the occupied population—exceeded that of Ireland and Italy but was below that of the six other member countries. A comparable assessment on the level of productivity in the goods-producing sectors is not available.