HC Deb 10 July 1974 vol 876 c490W
Mr. Frank Allaun

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the purchasing power of the £ sterling in the years 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973 and 1974, taking the value of the £ sterling in January 1967 as 100p.

Dr. Gilbert

Taking the internal purchasing power of the pound as 100p in January 1967 its value in the following periods is estimated to be:

1968 95p
1969 90p
1970 84½p
1971 77p
1972 72p
1973 66p
1974 (May) 57½p

These estimates are based on changes in the General Index of Retail Prices. The figures for the years 1968 to 1973 are based on the mean of the monthly figures for each year; the figure for 1974 relates to May, the latest month for which the index is available.