§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the basket of items used to calculate inflation was last reviewed; and what changes were made. [40941]
§ Ruth KellyThe information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from John Pullinger to Mr. John Bercow, dated 7 March 2002:
The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent parliamentary question asking when the basket of items used to calculate inflation was last reviewed; and what changes were made. I am replying in his absence.The Retail Prices Index (RPI) is the main domestic measure of inflation in the UK. In order to keep the RPI basket representative of consumer spending patterns it is reviewed and updated annually.The RPI basket was last updated in February 2001. The changes were published in a News Release on 19th March 2001, the day before the publication of the February 2001 RPI figures. I enclose a copy of this News Release, which is also available on the National Statistics website.The next changes to the basket will be announced in a News Release on the 18th March 2002, one day before the publication of the February 2002 RPI figures. The News Release will be available on the ONS website at www.statistics.gov.uk.