HC Deb 19 January 1998 vol 304 cc426-7W
Mrs. Lait

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will alter the constituent elements of the RPI to reflect current spending on services and goods. [23573]

Mrs. Liddell

The ONS recalculates weights for the constituent elements of the Retail Prices Index (RPI) at the start of each year using the latest available figures from the Family Expenditure Survey (FES). For example, from February 1998, the RPI weights will use information from the FES for the period July 1996 to June 1997. This allows the ONS to reflect the most up to date spending patterns available and to introduce new goods and services into the index.

Back to