Colonel NEWMANasked the Minister of Labour whether the official monthly prices of food and commodities are prepared directly under the supervision of his Ministry or by an independent individual or committee; and, if the latter is the case, will he give the name of the individual or committee and his or their qualifications for the work?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAThe figures referred to, which relate to the retail prices of commodities purchased by working-class families, are prepared by the statistical staff of the Ministry of Labour, and not by an independent individual or committee. For the purpose of the figures, information is supplied each month by between 6,000 and 7,000 retailers, distributed over the whole of the United Kingdom, showing the prices charged in their shops for the principal 689W commodities of working-class consumption; and the quotations so furnished are combined and summarised by the staff of the Ministry of Labour, so as to indicate the general average change in retail prices for the country as a whole.