§ Mr. de Freitasasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is ware that, taking the internal purchasing value of the £ sterling as 20s. in October, 1951, it had declined to 18s. 4d. by May, 1953, 17s. 7d. by May, 1955, and 16s. 5d. by May, 1956; and what was the comparable figure for May, 1957.
§ Mr. P. ThorneycroftThe answer to the first part of the Question is "Yes". The answer to the second part is 16s. 1d. These calculations are based on the Index of Retail Prices.