asked the Minister for Finance the estimated cost of (a) interest payments and (b) capital repayments of servicing the external debt in 1980.
Written Answers. - Foreign Debt.
455.
(a) £150 million interest; (b) £95 million principal. These estimates relate to the Exchequer foreign debt at 31 January 1980 and are based on current interest and exchange rates.
456.
asked the Minister for Finance the estimated ratio of debt service in 1980 to exports of goods and services.
The estimated ratio of debt service in 1980 to exports of goods and services is 17 per cent. The estimate is subject to a number of major uncertainties, chiefly in regard to the development of international trade and prices in our external markets.
457.
asked the Minister for Finance the percentage of foreign debt which will fall due for repayment within the next five years.
Of the Exchequer foreign debt at 31 January 1980, 47.5 per cent will fall due for repayment within the next five years on the basis of current exchange rates.
458.
asked the Minister for Finance the increase in foreign borrowing in 1979 and the extent to which this increase represents the increase in total debt.
The Exchequer foreign debt increased by an estimated £480 million in 1979, approximately 37 per cent of the increase in the national debt.