asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will give an estimate of the effect of a given 10 per cent. depreciation of £ sterling on the food price index published by his Department.

The effects of such a change would be complicated by the existence of green currency arrangements, but on the assumption that prices of products not subject to these were to rise to the full extent of the depreciation, the effect on the retail food price index would be just over 2 per cent.