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Mr. Lawson
asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing the annualised six-monthly rate of increase in the general index of retail prices, excluding seasonal foods, for each month over the period March-October 1978 inclusive.
Mr. Robert Sheldon
The figure for the annualised six-monthly rate of increase in the general index of retail prices, excluding seasonal foods, for October is not yet available. With that exception the figures are as follows:
| Month | Annualised 6-monthly rate of increase in general retail price index, excluding seasonal foods |
| March 1978 | 6·8 per cent |
| April 1978 | 8·4 per cent |
| May 1978 | 8·6 per cent |
| June 1978 | 8·9 per cent |
| July 1978 | 9·1 per cent |
| August 1978 | 9·6 per cent |
| September 1978 | 9·6 per cent |
| Wages and salaries* | General index of retail prices | Percentage increases United Kingdom company dividends (gross of tax)†‡ | |||
| All items | Total food | ||||
| 1966 Quarter 1–1978 Quarter 2 | … | 309 | 228 | 291 | 38 |
| 1974 Quarter 1–1978 Quarter 2 | … | 103 | 93 | 102 | 50 |
| * Excludes forces' pay. | |||||
| † Excludes payments of dividends to other companies. | |||||
| ‡ Dividend payments were high in Quarter 1 1966 because companies brought forward payments in order to avoid payment of income tax under Schedule F, to which they would have been liable on dividends paid after 5th April 1966. Between the first half of 1966 and the second quarter of 1978 the quarterly rate of dividend payments rose by 95 per cent. | |||||