Written question asked by Edwina Currie (Conservative), in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 18 March 1997. It was answered by Angela Knight (Conservative) on Tuesday, 18 March 1997 on behalf of the Office for National Statistics.

Treasury;Office for National Statistics

Question: If he will list the countries of the European Union in rank order of income per head, using the latest available figures. - Text of letter from Tim Holt of the Office for national Statistics. Inc ref to February 1997 edition of OECD publication Main Economic Indicators (in the Library). (Holding answer 17 March 1997).

Answer: Mrs. Currie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the countries of the European Union in rank order of income per head, using the latest available figures. [19277] Mrs. Angela Knight: [holding answer 17 March 1997]: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the chief executive of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given. Letter from Tim Holt to Mrs. Edwina Currie, dated 18 March 1997: The Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked me to reply as the Director of the Office for National Statistics to your recent question on income per head in the EU. The latest figures for GDP per head relate to 1996 and are based on projections made by the OECD using the relative rates of inflation between OECD countries and the USA as measured by their implicit price deflators for GDP. These projections are published in the February 1997 edition of the OECD publication Main Economic Indicators a copy of which is available in the House of Commons Library. Too much emphasis should not be placed on the rankings when as in the case of income per head, countries are bunched closely together.

Secondary information