§ Mr. WrayTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what information he has as to the average increase in telephone charges to(a) domestic and (b) commercial consumers in (i) Belgium, (ii) Denmark, (iii) France, (iv) the Federal Republic of Germany, (v) The Netherlands, (vi) Norway, (vii) Spain, (viii) Sweden and (ix) the United Kingdom for each year since 1974 in percentage terms.
§ Mr. ForthAn indication of the movement in United Kingdom domestic telephone charges may be obtained from the telephone component in the retail prices index (RPI) as follows:
28W
Year Average index Percentage increase 1974 104.8 1975 147.9 41.1 1976 193.9 31.1 1977 1179.1 -7.6
Per cent. Iceland 2.5 Finland 2.6 Sweden 3.7 Netherlands 4.5 Japan 4.6 Germany 6.2 Ireland 6.3 Source: OECD Annual National Accounts; IMF.