asked the Minister of Labour if he will instruct the Cost-of-Living Advisory Committee to weight the new index in favour of the basic necessities of the poorest paid workers rather than the luxuries of the higher paid workers, seeing that wage levels will continue to be affected by the cost-of-living index.

No, Sir. The new Interim index will be designed to show future changes in the level of retail prices weighted according to the prewar pattern of consumption, disclosed by the 1937–38 family budget inquiry. This inquiry related to the expenditure of working-class households.