§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection (1) in view of the fact that the prices of torch and transistor batteries have regularly increased during the period of wage restraint, whether he will cause an investigation to be made to ascertain whether these increases have been justified during the period of wage restraint and whether they fall within the Government's prices and incomes policy;
(2) in view of the continuous rise in the prices of newspapers and periodicals during the period of wage restraint, whether he will cause an investigation to be made to ascertain whether these increases were justified and fall within
15th October 1974 14th June 1977 Increase per cent. 1974=100 Food … 110.4 193.7 75.5 Alcoholic Drink … 115.4 184.0 59.4 Tobacco … 121.6 216.1 77.7 Housing … 107.1 164.3 53.4 Fuel and light … 116.0 214.5 84.9 Durable household goods … 113.7 166.0 46.0 Clothing and footwear … 115.1 155.7 35.3 Transport and vehicles … 115.0 193.2 68.0 Miscellaneous goods … 120.1 187.8 56.4 Services … 111.7 173.3 55.1 Meals out … 113.8 184.0 61.7 Retail Price Index—all items … 113.2 183.6 62.2 Average retail prices for about 80 important items of food are published in the Department of Employment Gazette, Volume LXXXII No. 11 gives this information for October 1974, whilst Volume 85 No. 6 contains the latest published data. The main factors which will have contributed to the above increases are a 41 per cent. increase in general unit wage costs between fourth quarters of 1974 and 1976, a 54½ per cent. increase in import unit values between October 1974 and June 1977 (to which a 26½ per cent. depreciation in the effective exchange rate for sterling will have contributed significantly) and the phasing out of the nationalised industries deficits.