§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total Government exenditure for the years 1960, 1970, 1980 and 1983; and what percentage of gross domestic product it represents for each of those years.
§ Mr. Peter Rees[pursuant to his reply, 16 January 1984, c. 16]: The figures for 1960, 1970 and 1980 are as follows:
1960 1970 1980 General Government expenditure (£ million cash) 8,932 20,896 103,857 £ million cost terms (base 1982–83) 60,392 95,582 126,037 Expenditure as a percentage of GDP 35 41 46 These figures are for general Government expenditure as recorded in the national accounts. An alternative definition is the public expenditure planning total. A fuller discussion of the two definitions and historical figures for the two series can be found in an article in the November issue of Economic Trends.
Figures for 1983 are not yet available.