Retail Price Index (Hansard, 9 April 1970)

§ Mr. Alison

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity if she will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the indices for all groups and sub-groups covered by the current Retail Price Index for October, 1951, October, 1958,

	16.1.62=100	17.6.47=100	17.1.56=100
Group and sub-group	16.10.51^*	14.10.58	13.10.59	13.10.64	21.10.69	17.1.56^*	16.1.62
FOOD	68.7	97.7	97.0	108.0	131.8	187.7	110.7
Bread, flour, cereals, biscuits and cakes	^*	93	94	109	136	^*	127
Meat and bacon	^*	102	101	114	142	^*	106
Fish	^*	87	88	106	135	^*	130
Butter, margarine, lard and cooking fat	^*	92	118	112	111	^*	85
Milk, cheese and eggs	^*	105	102	102	127	^*	108
Tea, coffee, cocoa, soft drinks, etc.	^*	103	103	105	111	^*	98
Sugar, preserves and confectionery	^*	98	99	121	143	^*	106
Vegetables, fresh, dried and canned	^*	99	89	105	138	^*	117
Fruit, fresh, dried and canned	^*	75	74	85	110	^*	133
Other food	^*	97	97	108	128	^*	107
ALCOHOLIC DRINK	88.8	97.8	90.6	110.0	136.5	113.6	108.2
TOBACCO	78.6	87.2	87.5	109.5	135.8	110.2	123.6
HOUSING	^*	88.1	91.6	115.7	149.5	122.9‡	140.6
Rent	—	—	—	116	155	—	—
Rates and water charges	—	—	—	121	154	—	—
Charges for repairs and maintenance, and materials for home repairs and decorations	—	—	—	107	124	—	—
FUEL AND LIGHT (including oil)	55.6	84.9	85.9	109.7	141.3	178.8	130.6
Coal and coke	^*	81	81	106	150	^*	135
Gas	^*	89†	91†	109	126	^*	126†
Electricity	16	145
DURABLE HOUSEHOLD GOODS	95.5	97.9	95.8	102.9	120.6	140.0	102.1
Furniture, floor coverings and soft furnishings	^*	94	94	108	131	^*	109
Radio, television and other household appliances	^*	108	101	97	108	^*	88
Pottery, glassware and hardware	^*	95	93	103	122	^*	107
CLOTHING AND FOOTWEAR	93.7	96.4	96.5	105.5	119.2	145.2	106.6
Men's outer clothing	^*	96	96	107	124	^*	108
Men's underclothing	^*	94	94	107	124	^*	111
Women's outer clothing	^*	98	97	105	116	^*	106
Women's underclothing	^*	94	95	106	118	^*	109
Children's clothing	^*	98	97	104	119	^*	107
Other clothing, including hose, haberdashery, hats and materials	^*	98	98	103	114	^*	100
Footwear	^*	93	97	107	122	^*	111
TRANSPORT AND VEHICLES	^*	89.0	90.8	102.4	124.1	^*	126.7
Motoring and cycling	^*	98	101	96	115	^*	106
Fares	^*	83	85	115	144	^*	143
MISCELLANEOUS GOODS	71.8	88.5	88.7	105.3	133.9	146.4	128.2
Books, newspapers and periodicals	^*	84	85	113	166	^*	150
Medicines, surgical, etc. goods and toilet requisites	^*	87	88	100	121	^*	126
Soaps and detergents, soda, polishes and other household goods	105	118
Stationery, travel and sports goods, toys, photographic and optical goods, etc.	^*	97	94	104	131	^*	110

114W

October, 1959, October, 1964 and October, 1969, on a common base of January, 1962 equalling 100, and giving the indices for January, 1956 based on June, 1947 equalling 100 and January, 1962, based on January, 1956 equalling 100.

§ Mr. Dell

The figures are as follows:

115W

	16.1.62=100	17.6.47=100	17.1.56=100
Group and sub-group	16.10.51^*	14.10.58	13.10.59	13.10.64	21.10.69	17.1.56^*	16.1.62
SERVICES	^*	88.5	89.8	108.0	144.8	147.6§	130.1
Postage and telephones	^*	98	98	103	137	^*	134
Entertainment	^*	85	85	104	141	^*	132
Other services including domestic help, hairdressing, boot and shoe repairing, laundering and dry cleaning	^*	90	92	112	150	^*	128
MEALS BOUGHT AND CONSUMED OUTSIDE THE HOME	—	—	—	108.0[...]	138.1[...]	—	—
ALL ITEMS	71.5	93.1	92.9	107.9	133.2	153.4	117.5

Notes

^* Indices for sub-groups were not calculated prior to April, 1952, it is therefore not possible to give sub-group figures for 16th October, 1951 with 16th January, 1962=100 or for 17th January, 1956 with 17th June, 1947=100. Changes made in 1956 in the composition of some index groups, particularly Housing and Services (which included Transport) invalidate the linking of the series calculated for these groups before and after January. 1956.

† "Other fuel and light", namely gas, electricity and oil.

‡ "Rent and rates". The Cost of Living Advisory Committee in its Report on the Working of the Interim Index of Retail Prices dated 17th January, 1952 (Cmd. 8481) accepted the view of the Retail Prices Index Technical Committee that the index for rent and rates understated the real rise in rents between June, 1947 and the end of 1951, but that overstatements of the rise elsewhere in the index offset this understatement.

§ Including transport.

[...] The Cost of Living Advisory Committee recommended in 1962 that until a satisfactory index series based on actual prices became available half the expenditure on meals out should continue to be allocated to the food group and the other half spread proportionately over all groups, including the food group. The index for meals out for 16th January, 1968 implicit in this recommendation was 121.4. Since January, 1968 an index series based on actual prices has been available and indices in this series have been linked with the implicit index for meals out for 16th January, 1968 to obtain indices for meals out with 16th January, 1962 taken as 100. The index for meals out given for 13th October, 1964 is the implicit index.