§ 55. Mrs. Mannasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in terms per week, per person, the extra cost of living due to Budget changes and recent rises in costs of foodstuffs arising out of other reasons operating since 1st November, 1951; and indicate the trend of prices in future.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterAs the House was informed on 16th June, the cost per person per week of the normal ration is about 81½d. more today than it was on 1st November, 1951. To this should be added about 6d. for the average increased expenditure on milk, bread and flour. There is no comparable measure of the increase in expenditure on unrationed and unsubsidised foods. Of the rise of 6 points in the All Items Interim Index between 13th November, 1951, and 13th May, 1952, food of all kinds accounted for about 75 per cent.
The Minister of Food will announce at the appropriate time the details of the remaining price increases which follow from my right hon. Friend's Budget. I would not attempt to forecast the general trend of food prices; but it is significant that the Index remained steady during April and May.