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Retail Prices Index

Lord Stoddart of Swindon asked Her Majesty's Government:

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The information requested falls within the responsibilities of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter to Lord Stoddart of Swindon from the National Statistician, dated October 2006

As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent parliamentary Question asking whether we take account of changes in the quantity of an item for a given price in the retail prices index (RPI). (HL7527)

Both the consumer prices index (CPI) and RPI are based on the prices of a “basket” of around 650 goods and services that are purchased by the vast majority of UK households. We collect prices for this “basket” at around 150 locations around the UK, as well as centrally by ONS staff. We aim to keep this basket fixed, so that comparisons between time periods are meaningful, most notably for an annual rate of change (often termed “inflation”) to be calculated. In order to do this, there are times when we have to perform an adjustment to ensure that we are comparing like with like across a given time period.

The simplest form of an adjustment is quantity adjustment, which is used when there is a permanent size change in an item, as in your Question. This occurs most frequently with homogenous goods such as food and drink, and has been used recently when the size of some confectionery bars was changed. In this case, in each outlet the nearest equivalent new size of the product priced in that outlet was found, and an adjustment made to the price pro rata to ensure that we are measuring the price correctly for the given change in weight or quantity of an item.

Similar adjustments were made in October 1995 when many items were changed from imperial to metric quantities. In this case, in each outlet the nearest equivalent new size of the product priced in that outlet was found and an adjustment was made for the change in weight.

Further information can be found on the National Statistics website at www.statistics.gov.uk.

Trade: Statistics

Lord Astor of Hever asked Her Majesty's Government:

Lord McKenzie of Luton: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has a legal requirement to collect statistics covering the export from and import to the United Kingdom of materials and goods, analysed by volume and value. This information, which includes authoritative estimates, is regularly published in the overseas trade statistics publications, via the HMRC-dedicated website at www.uktradeinfo.com, and provided to the Office for National Statistics. Statistics on the method of transportation are available on request for trade with non-EU countries. There are no plans for additional funding regarding the provision of statistical information.

Turkey: Human Rights

Lord Patten asked Her Majesty's Government:

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Triesman): We welcomed the acquittal of Elif Shafak on21 September, as did the Turkish Prime Minister. Officials from our embassy in Ankara attended her trial and have raised her case with the Turkish authorities. We have regularly raised concerns about freedom of expression, including Article 301, most recently during the visit of the Turkish Prime Minister to London on 3 October. Enlargement Commissioner Rehn stressed the importance of fully guaranteeing freedom of expression in Turkey during his visit on 3 October.

Lord Patten asked Her Majesty's Government:

Lord Triesman: The Government follow the situation of the Armenian community in Turkey and, in the context of Turkey's EU accession process, we encourage Turkey to ensure that the rights of all the Lausanne Treaty minorities are fully respected. We welcomed the offer by the Turkish Government of an impartial investigation by historians into the events of 1915, which followed discussion of the issue with my right honourable friend the then Minister for Europe (Mr Denis MacShane) in March 2005. The Armenian Government were unable to agree to this proposal.

Turkey: Religious Freedom

Lord Patten asked Her Majesty's Government:

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Triesman): The Government are saddened by attacks on clergy in Turkey as they are by attacks on peaceful clerics of any denomination in any country. We have made no formal representations about this matter and commend the Turkish Government for the speed with which they apprehended a suspect in this case. In the context of Turkey's EU accession, we continue to underline the importance of enhancing and protecting the rights of religious minorities in Turkey.


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