§ 87. Mr. Haleasked the Minister of Labour whether he will introduce a special cost-of-living scale for old age pensioners based on facts specially relative to them.
§ Sir W. MoncktonI assume the hon. Member has in mind a separate index of retail prices applicable to the circumstances of old age pensioners. The Cost of Living Advisory Committee, in their Interim Report of 26th June, 1951, expressed the opinion that there would be serious objections to the regular publication at monthly intervals of two or more official indices of retail prices covering different social, economic or regional groups, and they recommended that only one official index should be published monthly, to relate to all wage-earners and moderate salary earners.