§ Mr. Lewisasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the relative purchasing power of a Member of Parliament's salary actually received in 1938, 1946 and at the latest available date, using as the basis the price index for national income purposes between 1938 and December, 1951, and the Ministry of Labour's Interim Index of Retail Prices for the year 1952.
§ Mr. R. A. ButlerTaking the purchasing power in 1938 as 100, it would have been 105 in 1946, when the salary was raised from £600 to £1,000, and 72 at 31st December, 1952.
§ Mr. Lewisasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will state the itemised amounts he allowed for the necessary expenses incurred by a Member of Parliament to meet the cost of postage, travelling, telephone, secretarial and living away from home; and what was the percentage increase in each case allowed for when computing his purchasing value of a Member of Parliament's salary as £685 in December, 1952, as against £1,000 in April, 1946.
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§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterNo. The calculation was based on total consumer expenditure over the whole range of goods and services. Material is not available form which a calculation could be made in relation to any particular individual or class.