§ 1. Mr. de Freitasasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that, taking the internal purchasing value of the sterling as 20s. in October, 1951, it had declined to 18s. 5d. by March, 1953, and 17s. 8d. by March, 1955; and what was the comparable figure for March, 1957.
§ Mr. P. Thorneycroft:The answer to the first part of the Question is "Yes". The answer to the second part is 16s. 2d. These calculations are based on the Index of Retail Prices.