asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much of the increase in wholesale prices in March can be directly attributed to the fall in the exchange rate since 1 January; and if he will break down the figures to show the effect in detail.

The producer price index for materials and fuel purchased by manufacturing industry fell by 1·4 per cent. between February and March, while the producer price index for home sales of manufactured products rose by 0·5 per cent. It is not possible to quantify with any accuracy the contribution of exchange rate movements to either of these figures.