Public Expenditure (Hansard, 7 July 1993)

§ Mr. David Shaw
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the effect on the control total for public expenditure in 1994–95 of restraining public sector pay to an increase of(a) 0 per cent., (b) 2 per cent., (c) 3 per cent., (d) 4 per cent. and (e) the latest estimate of the rate of inflation which will be used for the annual uprating of pensions and benefits.

§ Mr. Nelson
None. The Cabinet agreed on 17 June that the new control total in 1994–95 would be set by sticking to existing ceilings. Within these ceilings, a responsible approach to public sector pay will ensure the best outcome in terms of service delivery.

§ Mr. Chris Smith
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing(a) the proportion that public spending represented of the gross domestic product and (b) the level of unemployment in each year since 1976.

§ Mr. Nelson
The latest figures for general Government expenditure, excluding privatisation proceeds, as a percentage of money GDP are shown in table 2B.1 of the "Financial Statement and Budget Report". The Central Statistical Office will be publishing revised figures for general Government expenditure in the July edition of "Financial Statistics".
Figures for the level of unemployment are shown in "Economic Trends Annual Supplement" table 21 and "Economic Trends" table 20.