§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing for the principal exporting countries the annual increase in wholesale prices for manufactures less foodstuffs between 1952 and 1978 in the form of an index or otherwise.
§ Mr. David MitchellI have been asked to reply.
Such wholesale price indices as are available in international publications for the main exporting countries are not comparable in their industrial coverage. The research needed to produce figures relating to manufactures less foodstuffs for countries other than the United Kingdom 406W would be too costly. The United Kingdom figures for the period 1954–1978 follow:
UNITED KINGDOM WHOLESALE PRICE INDEX* (1975=100) 1954 34.4 1966 44.8 1955 35.5 1967 45.2 1956 37.1 1968 47.0 1957 38.6 1969 48.5 1958 39.0 1970 52.3 1959 39.4 1971 57.7 1960 40.0 1972 61.1 1961 41.0 1973 66.0 1962 41.5 1974 82.2 1963 41.8 1975 100.0 1964 42.6 1976 116.9 1965 43.7 1977 138.0 1978 150.9 * Manufacturing industries excluding food, drink, and tobacco industries.