§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing what proportion of the national debt is held by (a) overseas residents who pay no tax and (b) funds in the United Kingdom which are exempt from tax; how much in cash terms of the borrowing requirements in each of the past five years was contributed by such funds; and what is his estimate of the loss of tax as a result.
§ Mr. BiffenI regret that this information cannot be provided without a disproportionate expenditure of time and resources.
§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the cumulative increase in the amount of interest payable on the national debt each year since 1967 in cash terms; and what was the ratio each year to the corresponding borrowing requirement.
§ Mr. BiffenFigures for the cumulative changes in the amount of interest payable on the national debt for each financial year since 1967–8 can be derived from the interest totals shown in the Consolidated Fund and National Loans Fund Accounts, published annually as House of Commons papers. Figures for the central Government borrowing requirement are published in the annual abstract of statistics.