HC Deb 15 March 1956 vol 550 c67W
101. Captain Pilkington

asked the Minister of Labour what has been the percentage increase since 1951 of the cost of living and industrial earnings.

Mr. Iain Macleod

Average weekly earnings of manual wage-earners in the last pay-week of October, 1955, in the industries covered by my Department's half-yearly inquiries were 33 per cent. greater than in October 1951. Over the same period the Interim Index of Retail Prices rose by 18 per cent.