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Disposable Income (International Comparisons)

Volume 961: debated on Wednesday 31 January 1979

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asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer by how much real personal disposable income has increased or decreased in Great Britain, France, West Germany, the United States of America and Japan in each year since 1970, using indices and taking 1970 as the base year.

The output of manufacturing industries is best measured in terms of their contribution to the gross domestic product; an aggregate of total production would contain an element of duplication to the extent that inter-industry transactions are not eliminated. An assessment of the contribution of manufacturing industries to gross domestic product in each of the countries listed is shown in the individual country tables in the United Nations publication "Yearbook of National Accounts Statistics". Satisfactory international comparisons, however, cannot be readily drawn from these data, mainly because they are published in national currencies and conversions to a common currency using international exchange rates is not wholly appropriate. Furthermore, although the estimates are compiled bearing in mind the requirements of international comparability, the United Nations draw particular attention to the need to pay regard to differences in concept, scope, coverage and classification which are described in notes to individual country tables. Such

MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY CONTRIBUTION TO GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT (1
1975 Local currency (thousand million)Exchange rate (9)US$ (thousand million)
United KingdomPounds sterling25·64 (2), (3), (4)2·22 (9)56·97
BelgiumBelgian francs628·26 (5)36·7817·08
DenmarkDanish kroner51·63 (2)5·758·99
FranceFrench francs391·014·2991·22
West GermanyDeutsche mark376·14 (6)2·46152·87
IrelandIrish pounds··2·22 (9)··
ItalyItalian lire36,327·00 (7)652·8555·64
LuxembourgLuxenbourg francs28·49 (7)36·780·77
NetherlandsNetherlands guilders48·78 (2), (8)2·5319·29
IndiaIndia rupees105·18 (2)8·3812·56
Soures:
GDP: United Nations Yearbook of National Accounts Statistics, 1977, Volume 1.
Exchange rates: International Financial Statistics January 1979.
·· Not available.
(1) Contribution to gdp at producers' values in current prices.
(2) Contribution to gdp in factor values at current prices.
(3) As updated by United Kingdom National Income and Expenditure 1967–77, Table 3.2.
(4) Repairs to consumer durables other than motor vehicles or footwear are included in wholesale and retail trade; other repair work is included in community, social and personal services.
(5) Including garages.
(6) Including quarrying and steel construction.
(7) Including mining and quarrying.
(8) Including mining and quarrying, and petroleum and natural gas.
(9) For United Kingdom and Ireland, period averages of exchange rates in US dollars per unit of national currency; for other countries, period averages of exchange rates in units of national currency per US dollar.