HC Deb 31 January 1980 vol 977 cc774-5W
Mr. Meacher

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the level of bank lending to the private sector for each quarter since January 1970; how this has been distributed each quarter among each of the main sectors of borrowers; and what has been the percentage change each quarter in lending, both in total and broken down by borrowing sector, compared to one year previously.

Mr. Lawson

Information on outstanding bank lending to the private sector from 1970 onwards is published for calendar quarters inFinancial Statistics—table 6.1 in the current issue and equivalent tables in earlier issues. Copies of this publication are available in the Library.

Table 6.1 provides information about lending in sterling and other currencies to:

  1. (a) the public sector—central Government, local authorities and public corporations.
  2. (b) the private sector:
    1. (i) industrial and commercial companies;
    2. (ii) other financial institutions;
    3. (iii) the personal sector; and
    4. (c) the overseas sector.

Table 6.17 of Financial Statistics gives details of bank advances for banking quarters analysed by various categories of borrower. The figures in this table are based on the standard industrial classification (SIC) 1968 groupings, which do not in general distinguish between the public and private sectors. In table 6.18 a less detailed analysis of acceptances is provided.