§ Mr. Win GriffithsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the principal elements in the cost of car ownership in(a) 1970, (b) 1980, (c) 1990 and (d) the latest date for which figures are available, indicating in each year the percentage of these costs of average earnings. [135407]
§ Mr. HillThe principal elements in the costs of car ownership are set out in the table with a baseline figure of 100 for 1970. A similar index for average earnings is included and all figures are adjusted for overall inflation:
1970 1980 1990 1999 All motoring expenditure: 100 103 90 100 of which: Motor vehicle purchase: 100 98 77 67 Maintenance: 100 120 124 149 Petrol and oil: 100 112 92 122 Tax and insurance: 100 71 83 113 Average earnings: 100 119 150 174 The information on changing costs comes from the Retail Prices Index, which monitors price changes over time for a standard collection of goods and services. Average earnings data are collected at April each year by means of a survey and represent the gross pay of adults working full-time whose pay is unaffected by absence. All figures are for Great Britain.
§ Mr. Win GriffithsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what have been the changes in the costs of(a) private car ownership, (b) rail travel and (c) bus travel since 1970. [135396]
§ Mr. HillInformation on relative price changes is collected by the Office for National Statistics for use in the Retail Prices Index (RPI). The DETR also collects specific information on changes to average bus fares. Setting indices to a base figure of 100 in 1970 changes, without allowing for inflation, are as follows:
1970 1999 Motoring costs 100 877 Train fares 100 1,663 Bus fares 100 1,483 Overall RPI 100 880