asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the United Kingdom's surplus or deficit on its current account, and on its balance of payments; what was the total value of its currency reserves in each year since 1990; and what is the estimated outcome for the year 2000. [HL330]
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter to Lord Shore of Stepney from the National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales, Office for National Statistics, Mr Len Cook, dated 23 January 2001.
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question on the United Kingdom's current account balance and the total value of currency reserve assets for each year since 1990, including an estimate for 2000 (HL330).
The latest estimates for the UK current account balances are shown in the following table:
Year Jan-Dec
| £ million
|
| 1990 | -19,513 |
| 1991 | -8,374 |
| 1992 | -10,082 |
| 1993 | -10,618 |
| 1994 | -1,458 |
| 1995 | -3,745 |
| 1996 | -600 |
| 1997 | 6,623 |
| 1998 | -80 |
| 1999 | 9,882 |
Sources:
Table 1.2 UK Balance of Payments Pink Book 2000.
Table A UK Balance of Payments First Release.
The latest estimates for the UK reserve assets levels are shown in the following table:
Year at Dec 31
| £ billion
|
| 1990 | 22.5 |
| 1991 | 26.0 |
| 1992 | 28.3 |
| 1993 | 29.7 |
| 1994 | 30.7 |
| 1995 | 31.8 |
| 1996 | 27.3 |
| 1997 | 22.8 |
| 1998 | 23.1 |
| 1999 | 24.5 |
Sources:
Table 8.9 UK Balance of Payments Pink Book 2000.
Table K UK Balance of Payments First Release.
Estimates for the year 2000 are not available until 26 March 2001, when the UK Balance of Payments First Release for the fourth quarter of 2000 will be published.