§ Mr. Matthew TaylorTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 21 February 2000,Official Report, column 769W, on inflation, if regional price data have been made available to the European Commission for use in calculating regional GDP per head; and what plans the Chancellor has to instruct the Office for National Statistics to publish regional price and real GDP data for the UK. [113470]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonThe information requested falls within the responsibility of the Director of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Tim Holt to Mr. Matthew Taylor, dated 8 March 2000:
As Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent question on whether regional price data have been made available to the European Commission for use in calculating regional GDP per head, and any plans the Chancellor has to instruct the ONS to publish regional price and real GDP data for the UK.Regional GDP per head is calculated from estimates of regional GDP converted on to a common currency using Purchasing Power Parities (PPPs). The PPPs used in the calculation are based on national average prices and the same average PPP is applied to each region within a country.The Office for National Statistics has no plans to publish regional price and real GDP data for the UK.