asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing for each year since 1957 the amount set aside by industrial and commercial companies out of profits for depreciation and the amount spent on new plant and equipment.

[pursuant to his reply, 30 March 1987, c. 395]: Information, taken from the DTI's analysis of the published accounts of industrial and commercial companies in Great Britain, on the amounts set aside for depreciation is given in the table below. There are a number of breaks in the series; the analysis has only covered the whole industrial and commercial company sector since 1977. The accounts used in the analysis are the consolidated annual accounts of industrial and commercial company groups, which may include financial and overseas subsidiaries, and the accounts of independent companies registered in Great Britain. Great Britain subsidiaries of companies registered in Northern Ireland or overseas are also included. Fuller notes on coverage are given in the references.Figures of gross domestic fixed capital formation in plant and machinery by industrial and commercial companies are given in the table below. These figures, which are mainly based on inquiries by the Business Statistics Office, include the purchase of new and secondhand assets whereas sales of plant and machinery are deducted. The figures relate to assets located in the United Kingdom and are published annually in the CSO Blue Book—table 10.3 of the 1986 edition. Figures are not available for years prior to 1965.