HC Deb 30 January 1978 vol 943 c54W
47. Mr. Hooley

asked the Secretary or State for Employment if he will remove alcohol and tobacco from the calculation of the retail price index.

Mr. Harold Walker

No. The construction of the retail prices index follows the recommendations of the Retail Prices Advisory Committee, which includes representatives of the TUC, the CBI and trade and consumer organisations together with leading academic experts and Government statisticians. On this matter, the Committee has explicitly recommended that the index should reflect price changes over the whole field of goods and services purchased by households. I accept the judgment of the Committee on this matter.