§ Mr. Harold Walkerasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the cost of Government support for industrial training for the current year and each of the next two years; and how this compares at constant prices with expenditure in 1978.
§ Mr. Peter MorrisonAs my right hon. Friend announced on 15 December 1981, it is intended to make provision for training expenditure in 1982–83 of over £1.1 billion, nearly £1.3 billion in 1983–84 and nearly £1.5 billion in 1984–85. On the same basis the financial provision in 1981–82 is, subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimates, £915 million (cash) compared with £395 million (cash) in 1978–79.
There is no unique way of expressing cash expenditure in constant prices. One way is to deflate the expenditure for the current year by the change in the gross domestic product deflator at market prices since 1978–79, thus removing the general effect of inflation. On this basis the expenditure has increased by 50 per cent. since 1978–79.