HC Deb 29 March 1926 vol 193 cc1808-10

Motion made, and Question proposed, That the Special Order made by the Electricity Commissioners under the Electricity (Supply) Acts, 1882 to 1922, and confirmed by the Minister of Transport under the Electricity (Supply) Act, 1919, in respect of part of the rural district of the Isle of Wight, and for other purposes, which was presented on the 23rd day of February, 1926, be approved."—[Colonel Ashley.]

11.0 P.M.

Mr. A. V. ALEXANDER

I should like to ask the Minister of Transport what is the company which will be connected with this Order. I have a suspicion that the company concerned is one which has holdings in electric undertakings in many parts of the country, but particularly a holding in the Twickenham and Teddington districts. If so, I think the House ought not to let Orders of this kind go through without challenge.

Colonel ASHLEY

All that I can tell the hon. Member is that the Order is applied for by the Isle of Wight Electricity Company and that this Order has passed through another place. There has been a public inquiry, there has been no opposition of any sort or kind, and it is unanimously desired by the inhabitants.

Mr. ALEXANDER

My information is that it is connected with a holding company which holds interests in quite a number of electricity supply undertakings, and as I happen to be a resident in the area and suffer under the hardship of having to get my electricity supply from that company, and we have had to have a town's meeting to try to get something like justice to the users—

Mr. GROTRIAN

It is not that company.

Mr. ALEXANDER

Perhaps the Minister will put this Order down for another night.

Colonel ASHLEY

This has to do with the Isle of Wight Order, which has had all its public inquiries, and there has been no opposition of any sort or kind. I submit that all the procedure prescribed under the Act of Parliament has been followed. It hue been examined by a Committee in another place, and there is no justification whatever for not giving the Isle of Wight Company this Order.

Mr. ALEXANDER

The question I am putting is: Is this company connected with a holding company which has a holding in a number of electricity supply areas, and which is also the holding company for the Twickenham and Teddington districts?

Colonel ASHLEY

I cannot answer that question. How can a Minister possibly know, when a company has gone through all the formalities and the local people want the Order, whether it has an interest in another company or not? It is not relevant at all whether it belongs to the Twickenham company or not, and I know nothing about it.

Mr. ALEXANDER

The relevancy is this, that you get a holding company connected with quite a number of subsidiary companies supplying current in local districts in such a fashion that the holding company takes 10 per cent. of the shares, and the power consumers in all the localities concerned pay through the nose for the units, and that is the reason why we must take the only possible step left open to us, which is that when any one of the subsidiary companies connected with that holding company asks for powers from this House for a locality, we must raise an objection and say that, so long as the consumers are being bled white for electric power in these areas, this House ought not to give, without question and without debate, further powers to that company in any given locality.

Mr. SPEAKER

I think I shall have something to say about relevance. That argument would seem to mean that on an Order for Hampstead, we might discuss Land's End, because it has some connection with Hampstead. I do not think I could admit that.

Mr. ALEXANDER

That is a very important point you have raised, I admit, but the point of Order I put is, is it not relevant to discuss the matter where a company is asking for powers and they are financed by a holding company, and they have to pay to that holding company as much as 10 per cent., and that percentage accounts for the high price charged?

Mr. SPEAKER

I will not commit myself. It is entirely a new point. The relevance seems to me a very line point. I will not on this occasion go further than that, but it would seem to me stretching relevance a very long way to admit it.

Colonel ASHLEY

I have no objection to putting it off another day, if the hon. Member wishes, but I do submit it; is hard that because the hon. Gentleman has some grievance regarding the electricity supply in one place another one should be denied its electric supply.

Mr. SPEAKER

I was not considering it should be put off on the present occasion. Had I to rule now, I should have to rule against the relevance of this matter, but I gather that the hon. Member was warning us of the possibility of raising this kind of thing on further occasions.

Question put, and agreed to.

Resolved, That the Special Order made by the Electricity Commissioners under the Electricity (Supply) Acts, 1882 to 1922, and confirmed by the Minister of Transport under the Electricity (Supply) Act, 1919, in respect of part of the rural district of Whiston, in the County Palatine of Lancaster, which was presented on the 16th day of February, 1926, be approved.

Resolved, That the Special Order made by the Electricity Commissioners under the Electricity (Supply) Acts, 1882 to 1922, and confirmed by the Minister of Transport under the Electricity (Supply) Act, 1919, in respect of the rural district of Solihull and part of the rural district of Meriden, in the County of Warwick, which was presented on the 16th day of February, 1926, be approved."—[Colonel Ashley.]

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