§ Mr. Shepherdasked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection if he will set out in the Official Report a table showing the annual change in the retail price index each year since 1946 and showing the food element for each year.
§ Mr. MaclennanAnnual percentage changes for the month of December for each of the years 1946 to 1977 inclusive, and for June 1978 are set out in the table below. The information has been calculated from available indices, namely, 335W the cost of living index (to June 1947), the interim index of retail prices (June 1947 to January 1956) and the general index of retail prices (from January 1956 onwards).
ANNUAL CHANGES IN RETAIL PRICES AND IN FOOD PRICES 1946–78 All items Food Percentage change on same month a year earlier December 1946 0.5 -0.6 December 1947 3.2 -0.9 December 1948 4.9 4.4 December 1949 3.5 10.8 December 1950 3.2 4.9 December 1951 12.0 15.6 December 1952 6.4 12.9 December 1953 1.1 0.3 December 1954 4.0 7.8 December 1955 5.8 7.5 December 1956 3.0 0.9 December 1957 4.6 3.6 December 1958 1.8 3.0 December 1959 — -0.5 December 1960 1.8 -0.6 December 1961 4.4 1.9 December 1962 2.6 2.7 December 1963 1.9 2.2 December 1964 4.8 5.1 December 1965 4.5 3.1 December 1966 3.7 3.3 December 1967 2.5 2.6 December 1968 5.9 4.4 December 1969 4.7 6.4 December 1970 7.9 8.0 December 1971 9.0 13.0 December 1972 7.7 8.7 December 1973 10.6 19.0 December 1974 19.1 17.8 December 1975 24.9 26.0 December 1976 15.1 22.1 December 1977 12.1 10.6 June 1978 7.4 6.7