PUBLIC EXPENDITURE: PERCENTAGE OF GDP

HL Deb 25 April 1984 vol 451 cc135-6WA

Lord Renton

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What proportion of the national income was spent by Government departments, local authorities and publicly-owned bodies in the financial years 1978–79 and 1983–84, and what proportion it is proposed to spend in the year 1984–85.

Lord Cockfield

The following table gives public expenditure as a percentage of the gross domestic product over this period.

Public expenditure (1) as a percentage of GDP at market prices
1978–79	1979–80	1980–81	1981–82	1982–83	1983–84 estimated outturn	1984–85 plans
40½%	40½%	42½%	44%	43½%	43%	42%

Notes

(1) Defined as the planning total plus general government consumption of non-trading capital plus payments of VAT by local authorities plus net debt interest.

Source: Cmnd. 9143 (Chart 1.8) and the 1984 Financial Statement and Budget report (Table 5.5).