§ Mr. Sheldonasked the Secretary of State for Employment what estimate he has made of the annual rate of increase in retail prices in the four months ended mid-October 1972 and in the four months ended mid-February 1973.
§ Mr. Dudley SmithMy Department does not normally estimate annual rates of change of retail prices from periods of less than six months. However, the General Index of Retail Prices, excluding the effect of seasonal food price changes, rose at an annual rate of 10-3 per cent, in the four months ended in mid-October 1972. The corresponding rate for the four months ended mid-February 1973 was 4.9 per cent.