§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will initiate an immediate independent survey to ascertain to what extent the officially published figures, showing that during 1971 the average price of food rose by 11 per cent., that the main basic foods rose by amounts varying between 22 per cent. to 50 per cent., and the fall-off in take-up of 38 items of food, have adversely affected all those on welfare benefits in general and those on retirement benefits in particular.
§ Mr. DeanNo. The uprating of benefits last September fully restored the purchasing power of those benefits, as measured by the General Index of Retail Prices which includes food prices, and gave a small improvement as well.