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Mr. Sproat
asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of Government spending was accounted for by spending on all social security payments plus unemployment benefit in 1945 and each year following, until 1975; and what estimate he has made of the percentage in 1976–77.
Mr. Joel Barnett
The available figures are given in the table below. The estimate for 1976–77 is derived from Cmnd. 6393 and from the "Financial Statement and Budget Report, 1976–77".
| Social security expenditure as a percentage of central Government expenditure | |
| 1950 | 16·6 |
| 1951 | 14·4 |
| 1952 | 15·6 |
| 1953 | 16·7 |
| 1954 | 16·3 |
| 1955 | 17·2 |
| 1956 | 17·9 |
| 1957 | 17·3 |
| 1958 | 20·1 |
| 1959 | 20·5 |
| 1960 | 19·9 |
| 1961 | 20·3 |
| 1962 | 20·5 |
| 1963 | 22·4 |
| 1964 | 21·4 |
| 1965 | 21·8 |
| 1966 | 21·2 |
| 1967 | 20·9 |
| 1968 | 21·5 |
| 1969 | 22·4 |
| 1970 | 22·4 |
| 1971 | 21·8 |
| 1972 | 22·8 |
| 1973 | 21·8 |
| 1974 | 20·9 |
| 1975 | 20·2 |
| 1976–77, estimate | 20·7 |