§ Mr. Lawsonasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing, at the latest available date (a) current grants to persons and (b) total transfer payments, expressed as a percentage of total public expenditure and gross domestic product, in the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and each of the other EEC member countries.
945W
§ Mr. Joel BarnettThe table is below. For comparability the figures used are all on OECD definitions, among which
GENERAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFER PAYMENTS AS A PROPORTION OF TOTAL EXPENDITURE AND GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT: 1976 Per cent. Current grants to persons* Total transfer payments† As a proportion of total general Government expenditure† As a proportion of gross domestic product As a proportion of total general Government expenditure† As a proportion of gross domestic product United Kingdom … 25½ 12 43 19½ Belgium … 43 19½ 55½ 25 Denmark … 32 15 39½ 18½ France … 48 21 57½ 25½ West Germany … 37 16½ 46½ 20½ Ireland‡ … 32 15½ 49½ 24 Italy … 42½ 19½ 61½ 28 Luxembourg‡ … 42 21 54 27 Netherlands … 47 26½ 60½ 34 United States of America … 32 11 41 14½ * Including private non-profit making bodies serving households. † Including subsidies and interest payments (gross) but excluding capital transfers, lending and expenditure on the acquisition of company securities. ‡ 1975 Source: National Accounts for OECD countries, 1976.