§ 57. Mr. Errollasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the fact that the existing basis has a misleading effect, he will appoint a committee to examine the index of productivity to ascertain whether the existing basis is adequate.
§ Sir A. SalterI am not clear to what index of productivity the hon. Member refers. No general index of productivity is published officially. An Interim Index of Industrial Production is published in the Monthly Digest of Statistics, and is described as a provisional index to be completely revised when the results of the 1948 Census of Production are available. The final reports of the 1948 Census of Production are now becoming available and the index is being revised.
If this is the index to which the hon. Member refers, I do not think that there is any need to appoint a Committee for the purpose he suggests.