Historical debt and foreign borrowing ratios
Dr. Browne asks for national debt and Government foreign borrowing as percentages of GNP from 1930 onward. The Minister provides a tabular reply, noting that some requested historical data are unavailable.
asked the Minister for Finance if he will indicate the size of the total (a) national debt and (b) foreign borrowings by the Government in relation to gross national product in 1930, 1940, 1950, 1960 and 1970 and each subsequent year.
Comment on this
As the reply is in the form of a tabular statement, I propose with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, to circulate it with the Official Report.
The data requested are as follows:
1 National debt and foreign borrowing figures are not available on a calendar year basis prior to 1974. National Debt and foreign borrowings as a percentage of GNP in the prior years have been calculated using the GNP figure for the calender year immediately preceding the end of the financial year in question.
2 Gross national product figures are not available for 1930 and 1940.
3 For the transitional financial year April to December 1974 the percentage is calculated using foreign borrowing in that period and three-quarters of GNP for the calendar year 1974.