§ Mr. Meacherasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for each year since 1945, what has been the annual percentage increase, respectively, in economic growth, the level of imports and the level of exports.
§ Mr. Biffen[pursuant to his reply, 13 March 1980]: Estimates of economic growth as measured by the average esti- 762W mate of gross domestic product and estimates of exports and imports of goods and services at constant prices are not available before 1948.
Annual percentage changes in the average estimate of gross domestic product from 1948 to 1978 are given on page 132 of the October 1979 issue of Economic Trends. There have been some minor revisions to the data for the more recent years since then, but these do not change the rates of growth significantly. The estimate for the whole of 1979 is not yet available; in the first three quarters of 1979 gross domestic product at constant prices was estimated to be 2 per cent. higher than the corresponding period of 1978.
Annual percentage changes in the volume of exports and imports of goods and services are shown in the following table:
TRADE IN GOODS AND SERVICES AT CONSTANT PRICES Percentage increases Year Exports Imports 1949 + 11.0 + 7.8 1950 + 14.2 +0.9 1951 -1.0 + 7.0 1952 -2.0 -7.5 1953 + 4.2 + 7.9 1954 + 5.6 + 3.7 1955 + 6.2 + 10.1 1956 +4.3 +0.3 1957 +2.5 +2.5 1958 -0.1 -3.8 1959 +2.5 +6.5 1960 +5.3 + 11.9 1961 +2.8 -0.7 1962 + 1.4 + 2.1 1963 +4.8 + 10.0 1964 +3.5 + 10.3 1965 +4.8 +0.9 1966 +4.4 +2.5 1967 +0.8 + 6.9 1968 +13.0 +7.5 1969 +9.8 +3.2 1970 +5.4 +5.3 1971 +6.8 +5.3 1972 +1.1 +10.0 1973 +11.3 +11.6 1974 +7.0 +1.0 1975 -2.4 -7.2 1976 +9.1 +4.3 1977 +6.6 + 1.0 1978 +1.9 +3.7 1979 +2.0 +11.0