HC Deb 21 May 1968 vol 765 cc66-7W
Mrs. Ewing

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what regional variations in price are taken into account in the Index of Retail Prices; and whether Scotland is treated as a region in compiling these statistics.

Mr. Hattersley

The Index of Retail Prices measures changes in the average level of retail prices of the commodities and services purchased by the great majority of households in the United Kingdom as a whole. The index is not compiled on a regional basis. Prices of food and many other items are collected in 200 Employment Exchange areas spread throughout the United Kingdom, including 20 in Scotland, and variations in movements in these areas are therefore reflected in the index.