§ Mr. Foulkesasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will compare the current cost of the following items with that seven and 11 years ago; a pint of beer, a bottle of whisky, a bottle of vermouth, 20 cigarettes, a large loaf, a pint of milk, 1 lb. of beef, 1 lb. of pork, 1 lb. of lamb, 1 lb. of sausages, 1 lb. of cheese, 1 lb. of chicken, a unit of electricity, a unit of gas, a gallon of petrol, the bus fare from Westminster to Hammersmith Co-operative store, the underground fare from Westminster to Hammersmith, the train fare from London, Euston to Glasgow, the train from Glasgow to Ayr, the bus fare from Cumnock to Ayr, the average rent of a council house in Ayrshire, a first-class stamp for a letter and a second-class stamp for a letter.
§ Mr. BrittanThe following is the information requested. All prices are at January of each year unless otherwise stated. For ease of comparison the 1970 prices have been converted to decimal currency. All prices are rounded off to the nearest ½p except for electricity and gas. I regret that information on vermouth and on the train fare from Glasgow to Ayr in 1970 and 1974 is not available. The average rent in Ayreshire is not available without disproportionate expense. Under rent I have included the average yearly rent as at 28 November 1970 and 1974 in Cumnock and Holmhead and the average yearly rent as at 30 September 1980 for Cumnock and Doone Valley.
415W
Item 1970 1974 1981 P P P Pint of beer (typical price) 11½ 17 51 (March) Bottle of whisky (typical price) £2.47½ £2.45 £6.30 March 20 cigarettes (filter tip) 26 October 32 (October) 78 (February) Large loaf 8½ 13 35½ Pint of milk 4½ 5½ 18½ 1 lb. of beef 43 80 £2.21½ 1 lb. of pork 32½ 57½ £1.13½ 1 lb. of lamb 32½ 62 £1.42 1 lb. of sausages 18 28½ 64 1 lb. of cheese (cheddar type) 18 33½ £1.00½ 1 lb. of chicken 15½ 26 49½ Unit of electricity 0.842 1.064 4.536 Unit of gas 9.67 10.95 26.89 1 gallon of petrol (4 star) 33 42 £1.51½ (March)
Item 1970 P 1974 P 1981 P Bus fare from Westminster to Hammersmith Co-operative Store 10 13 70 Underground fare from Westminster to Hammersmith 10 15 70 Train fare from London Euston to Glasgow (standard fare 2nd class) £5.20 £7.90 £28.00 Train fare from Glasgow to Ayr (standard fare 2nd class) N/A N/A £1.70 Bus fare from Cumnock to Ayr 16 22 89 Average rent for a council house in Ayreshire £58.90 £119.4 £265.19 First-class stamp for a letter 2 3½ 14 Second-class stamp for a letter 1½ 3 11½
§ Mr. Wigleyasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of all goods and services purchased and hired by the Government are distributed between the countries of the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. BrittanIn 1979–80, public expenditure on goods and services was distributed among the countries of the United Kingdom in the following way:
Country Percentage of public expenditure on goods and services England 62 Scotland 8 Wales 4 Northern Ireland 3 Unallocated (including defence) 23 Total United Kingdom 100