HC Deb 26 March 1982 vol 20 cc426-7W
Mr. Austin Mitchell

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he has made any assessment of the difference in the economic and commercial effect on firms making internationally traded goods between an increase in the national insurance surcharge and an appreciation of the exchange rate.

Mr. Bruce-Gardyne

An accurate assessment of such differences is impossible to make. It depends, among other things, on the size of the changes envisaged; how the increased revenue from the national insurance surcharge is used; and on the cause of the appreciation in the exchange rate.