§ Mr. Caryasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the fact that, since September 1939, the official cost-of-living index figure has risen by 45 per cent., he can indicate to the House the practical steps which are to be taken by the Government to reduce substantially the cost of living?
§ Sir K. WoodMy hon. Friend overstates the increase in the cost of living index, which is 29 per cent. A substantial reduction in the present level of the index cannot be expected in wartime. Government policy, however, aims at holding prices of articles in common use at about their present level, though this does not exclude minor variations from time to time.