asked the Minister of Labour whether the figures for rent and rates appearing in the cost-of-living index include statistics from Scotland; and whether he will indicate the percentage increase in rent and rates for England and Wales, and Scotland, separately.

The figures for rent and rates in the Index of Retail Prices include statistics collected from various towns in Scotland, but I regret that I cannot undertake calculations for the purpose of giving separate figures for Scotland. The Index of Retail Prices is designed to measure the average changes in the level of prices for the United Kingdom as a whole and is not suitable for comparing the movement of prices in different parts of the United Knigdom.