§ 20. Mr. Norman Atkinsonasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is satisfied that his prediction of economic growth for later this year is on target.
§ Mr. BrittanYes.
§ 21. Mr. Eggarasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he now expects a further increase in the level of economic activity.
§ Mr. BrittanThe forecast published with the Budget looked forward to a steadily increasing level of economic activity over the next 18 months. As I said in my earlier reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Morecombe and Lonsdale (Mr. Lennox-Boyd) recent indicators confirm that economic activity is picking up. On Tuesday we had the results of the latest CBI survey of industrial trends. This shows marked improvements in business optimism and output expectations.