§ Mr. Lawsonasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table, by Department, showing the proportion of public expenditure in 1978–79 comprised by (a) payments to individuals or firms which are governed by laws establishing the beneficiary statutory right to payment if he or she meets certain legal requirements and (b) outlays on contracts and obligations made in previous financial years.
§ Mr. Joel Barnett, pursuant to his reply, [Official Report, 8 March 1979; Vol. 963, c. 774], gave the following information:
Information is not held centrally in this form. If the hon. Member has any specific payments in mind, I suggest he pursues them with the appropriate spending Department.