§ 66. Mr. A. Evansasked the Minister of Labour to collate and publish the figures of short-time working in the furniture and upholstery industry for the London and other regions during recent months, with the estimated figures for 1954 and 1953.
§ Mr. WatkinsonThe following table gives the information that is available for one week in May, 1953, 1954 and 1955.
mainly to the exceptionally early exhaustion of stocks of old potatoes and their replacement by new potatoes at higher prices, and partly to some seasonal influences. The figure for July will not be available until the third week in August. The Government's policy will continue to be aimed at providing conditions which will enable productivity to be increased as the only way of keeping costs down.
§ 69. Mr. Collinsasked the Minister of Labour to give an estimate of the effect on the cost-of-living index of an increase of 12s. 8d. per ton in the price of coal.
§ Mr. WatkinsonAn increase in the prices of all grades of domestic coal and coke of 12s. 8d. a ton would increase the 105W all-items figure of the Retail Prices Index by about one-half of a point. An increase in the prices of coal used for industry, transport, etc., would probably give rise to other price increases, but I cannot estimate the effect of these increases on the Retail Prices Index.