asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his latest estimate of the effects on central Government spending to date during the current financial year arising from the interest rates being lower than those projected at the time of the Budget.

Estimates of the effects of interest rates differed from those previously projected are not available. Estimates of expenditure on public expenditure programmes and of debt interest payments for 1982–83 as a whole are published today in the public expenditure White Paper. Estimates of central Government payments of debt interest will appear as usual in the Financial Statement and Budget Report on Budget day.