asked the Taoiseach if the Central Statistics Office will consider compiling a cost of living index figure for the principal cities and towns and a separate index figure for rural areas.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Cost of Living Index Figure.
6.
The Consumer Price Index is at present weighted according to the pattern of expenditure of households in towns and villages throughout the country on the basis of the Household Budget Inquiry 1951-52 adjusted to the August 1953 price level. No similar information is available in relation to households in rural areas to establish a system of index number weights related to their consumption. Periodic returns of prices can be obtained only in centres with an adequate range of shops to provide suitable data. In addition the preparation of a variety of index numbers of consumers' prices is not considered desirable, particularly since investigations have shown that the differences in the trends of prices for different classes of the community do not differ markedly.