§ 40. Lieut.-Colonel Acland-Troyteasked the Minister of Labour whether, in calculating the cost-of-living figures, any allowance is made for the reduction in quantities consumed owing to rationing and the substitution of cheaper articles, such as margarine for butter, due to the same cause?
§ The Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Labour (Mr. Assheton)The official cost-of-living index number is designed to measure the average percentage changes in the retail prices of a fixed list of commodities and services. The figures do not purport to reflect changes in expenditure due to alterations in the quantities of different commodities actually consumed by working-class households, as to which comprehensive statistics are not available.
§ Lieut.-Colonel Acland-TroyteMay we take it that these figures are absolutely worthless for comparison with those we had before the war?
§ Mr. AsshetonNo, Sir.
§ Mr. T. WilliamsAre we to understand from the answer that if working-class consumers consume inferior food, then the cost-of-living index should go down?
§ Mr. ThorneWill the hon. Member send his wife to the shops to see the prices that she will have to pay?