§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of gross national product will be taken up by public expenditure in the current financial year; and what are the comparable percentage figures for the United States of America, Germany, and Japan in the most recent annual period for which figures are available.
§ Mr. MacGregorGeneral Government expenditure as a percentage of GDP is expected to be 43¼ per cent. in188W 1986–87, as published in Table 2.1 of the autumn statement. In 1983–84 it was 45¾ per cent. The internationally comparable measure calculated by the OECD, general Government outlays as a percentage of GDP, was 48 per cent. in the United Kingdom in 1984. The comparable figure for Germany was 48 per cent. and for Japan 33 per cent. The 1984 figure for the United States is not yet available; the 1983 figure was 38 per cent.