To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost of servicing the national debt in each of the next five years. [40211]

In the 1995 "Financial Statement and Budget Report", central Government gross debt interest payments were forecast as follows:

• 1996–97: £26.5 billion
• 1997–98: £28.0 billion
• 1998–99: £27.9 billion
• 1999–2000¹: £28 billion
• 2000–2001¹: £27 billion

'As in the Red Book, these forecasts are rounded to the nearest £ billion.

In the 1996 "Summer Economic Forecast", central Government gross debt interest payments for 1996–97 and 1997–98 were revised to £26.7 billion and £29.4 billion respectively.