HL Deb 21 March 1979 vol 399 c1258WA
Lord O'HAGAN

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What effect membership of the EEC has had on the cost of living in the United Kingdom.

Lord McCLUSKEY

It is not possible to separate the effects of Community membership from the many other factors which combine to influence the Retail Price Index, or other indices of the cost of living. Where it is possible to identify the likely effects on the Retail Price Index of particular Community policies such as the annual farm prices settlement these estimates are published in the six-monthly White Paper on developments in the European Communities.