§ Mr. Malcolm BruceTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the real increase in the size of the stock of public sector debt between 1979–80 and 1995–96; and what is his current estimate of the size of the national debt. [35380]
§ Mr. WaldegraveNet public sector debt is forecast to have increased by 37 per cent. in real terms between end-March 1980 and end-March 1996. As a proportion of gross domestic product, it will have fallen by 3 per cent. over the same period.
The latest available estimate of the national debt is £306.9 billion at end-March 1994.
The national debt, defined as the gross liabilities of the national loans fund, is not directly comparable to net public sector debt.