§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he is aware that between 6th November, 1970, and 3rd January, 1971, the costs of 33 items which had cost £5 rose to £5 5s. 6d.; and whether he will revise his cost of living index figure to include the day-to-day items upon which the retired and poorer sections spend most of their incomes.
§ Mr. Dudley SmithI am not aware of the particular figures to which the hon. Member refers, but I am satisfied that the General Index of Retail Prices reflects accurately the changes in retail prices of the goods and services purchased by nearly nine-tenths of all households in the United Kingdom, including practically all wage earners and most small and medium salary earners. Changes in the prices of the goods and services, other than housing, purchased by one-person and two person pensioner households are reflected in the indices for these households which are published quarterly by my Department.