§ Mr. Lathamasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will identify in specific terms the sales of public sector assets actually achieved in (a) 1980–81 and 353W (b) 1981–82; what was the revenue received from each; by how much the sales reduced the public sector borrowing requirement; how the outturn compared with the forecast; and what were the reasons for any discrepancies between the two.
§ Mr. RidleyI refer my hon. Friend to table 4.8 in the public expenditure White Paper, Cmnd. 8494, for details of the 1980–81 asset sales and to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak (Mr. Beaumont-Dark) on 15 June 1982—[Vol. 25, c.214.]—for details of the 1981–82 asset sales.
In both years the announced target for sales was £500 million. The net receipts show the effect of the special sales of assets programme on the PSBR. In 1980–81 gross receipts were £405 million and in 1981–82 £481 million. The shortfall in each year was principally due to delay into the following year of particular sales, but also to the genuine difficulties in forecasting receipts from market transactions.