HC Deb 09 March 1988 vol 129 cc219-20W
Mr. Gordon Brown

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will issue a corrected series of the retail prices index for all items and for all items less housing costs for each month from February 1986 until October 1987 inclusive, to take account of the error in the retail prices index.

Mr. Lee

No. It has always been the practice not to revise the retail prices index once it has been published, as doing so would create serious problems for some users. This practice was endorsed by the Retail Prices Advisory Committee in its latest report (Cmnd. 9848, July 1986) and I see no reason to change it.

Extra payments have been made to pensioners in recompense for their small losses at the time of pensions uprating and to ensure that the Exchequer has not benefited from the consequent social security under payment.