HC Deb 17 April 1996 vol 275 cc499-500W
Mr. Spellar

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his Department's estimate of the cost of capital to industry in the United Kingdom; and what are the figures for(a) the United States of America, (b) Germany and (c) Japan. [25386]

Mrs. Angela Knight

There is no universally accepted method for calculating the cost of capital to industry as a whole. All estimates are subject to conceptual and measurement problems, and international comparisons are especially difficult.

show the separate totals of men and women who are (a) retired, (b) housewives, (c) under 16-year-olds, (e) long-term sick and disabled and (f) others.[25320]

Mrs. Knight

It is not possible to provide a breakdown of the seasonally adjusted economically inactive data. However, a breakdown of the unadjusted economically inactive data into(a) retired, (b) people looking after the family home, (c) under 16 years, (d) long-term sick and or disabled and (e) others can be obtained via the quantime labour force survey available in the Library.