The National Debt, which stood at £30,209 million at 31 December 1995, reflects the debt of the Exchequer only — i.e. borrowing undertaken to fund the activities of Government Departments.
For EU reporting purposes, General Government Debt is the standard measure of a country's indebtedness. This measure is a more broadly defined concept which includes central Government debt, the Exchequer debt of noncommercial semi-State bodies and the debt of local authorities, including health boards, vocational education committees, etc. It is also measured on a gross basis — e.g. cash on hands is not netted off. The following table shows the breakdown of General Government Debt as at 31 December, 1995: