§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, in so far as he has agreed to some 48 trade association federations, their membership and firms increasing their prices by amounts ranging from 3 per cent. of increased raw material and wage price increases up to 70 per cent. thereof, to what extent he estimates these increased prices have raised the cost of living during this period.
§ Sir G. HoweIt would mislead the House to ascribe any movement in the cost of living to the agreements listed in my reply to the hon. Member on 22nd February.—[Vol. 851, c.163–4.] Those agreements may by now be partly reflected in the wholesale price index for manufactured goods—excluding food, drink and tobacco—which increased between November and January by only 408W 0.2 per cent., from 149.0 to 149.3. I would expect the final effect on the retail price index to be very small.