§ Mr. Doddsasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer by how much consumers' expenditure on food has increased between 1951 and the latest convenient date; how much is represented by an increase in the volume of consumption; and how much is due to the increase in prices.
§ Mr. H. MacmillanBecause of seasonal variations in consumers' expenditure of food, comparisons can properly be made only for comparable periods. Estimates are not yet available of consumers' expenditure on food in the fourth quarter of 1955, but between the first nine months of 1951 and the first nine months of 1955, expenditure is estimated to have risen from £2,190 million84W to £3,058 million or by 40 per cent. The increase in the volume of consumption was rather more than 7 per cent. while prices rose about 30 per cent.