HC Deb 04 July 1973 vol 859 c131W
Sir S. McAdden

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what, after adjusting for the general index of purchasing prices, is the purchasing power of the national average weekly wage, taking it as equivalent to 100 on 18th June 1970.

Mr. Chichester-Clark

The purchasing power of wages is affected by many factors, such as taxation, which vary with individual circumstances. Between June 1970 and April 1973, the latest date for which information is available, the index of average earnings rose by 37–8 per cent. and the general index of retail prices by 26–3 per cent.