§ Mr. Ripponasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what was the public sector borrowing requirement in 1972–3, 1973–74, 1977–78 and 1979–80 respectively;
(2) what was the total national debt at the end of the financial years 1973–74, 1977–78, 1978–79 and 1979–80; and what is the latest available figure.
§ Sir Geoffrey HoweThe information is as follows:
£ million Public Sector borrowing requirement* National Debt amount outstanding at end of year † 1972–73 2,533 ** 1973–74 4,459 40,448 1977–78 5,594 79,180 1978–79 ** 86,885 1979–80 9,915 95,314‡ * Recent figures are published in Financial Statistics,Table 2.5. † Figures are published with other information on public sector debt in Financial Statistics, February 1981, Supplementary Table B. ‡ The latest figure; national debt statistics are compiled annually, in respect of 31 March. **Information not requested.