§ 55. Mr. Lewisasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will give the comparative figures showing the difference in the fall in the purchasing power of the £ sterling from 1946 to 1951 and from 1951 to 1958, respectively, together with the rise and fall in the price of British imports during the same periods.
Mr. AmoryThe internal purchasing power of the £ fell by 4s. 10d. over the five years between 1946 and 1951 and by 4s. 2d. over the seven years between 1951 and October, 1958. The index of average value of all imports more than doubled between 1946 and 1951 and has22W since fallen by 14 per cent. The Index of Food, Drink and Tobacco Import Prices, however, increased by nearly 63 per cent. between 1946 and 1951 and has changed very little since then.