asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the value of the £ sterling on 1st February 1976 taking it to be worth 100p in each of the years 1945 to 1975.

No information is available for 1945. Taking the internal purchasing power of the pound sterling to be 100p in each of the years from 1946 to 1975, its value in December 1975, the latest available date was as follows:

1946	20p	1961	35p
1947	21½p	1962	36p
1948	23p	1963	37p
1949	23½p	1964	38p
1950	24½p	1965	40p
1951	26½p	1966	41½p
1952	28p	1967	42½p
1953	28½p	1968	44½p
1954	29p	1969	47p
1955	30p	1970	50p
1956	31½p	1971	55p
1957	32½p	1972	58½p
1958	33½p	1973	64p
1959	33½p	1974	74½p
1960	34p	1975	92½p

The basis for these estimates is that given in the leaflet "The Internal Purchasing Power of the Pound", obtainable from the Press and Information Service of the Central Statistical Office.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will list in the Official Report the exchange rate of the £ sterling against the dollar at the close of business on 31st January for each of the years 1967 to 1975.

Recent information about the sterling/dollar exchange rate is given in the Central Statistical Office's publication "Financial Statistics". Details of the rate at the close of business on the last working day of January for each of the years 1967 to 1975 are as follows:

31 January 1967	2·7943
31 January 1968	2·4123
31 January 1969	2·3900
30 January 1970	2·4025
29 January 1971	2·4175
31 January 1972	2·5938
31 January 1973	2·3822
31 January 1974	2·2750
31 January 1975	2·3811