30. Mr. WESTasked the Minister of Transport how many undertakings in the area of London and the Home Counties electricity district have a standard charge for lighting under 4d. per unit; and how many of them are municipal undertakings?
§ Mr. HORE-BELISHAAs the answer contains a number of figures, it is proposed, with the hon. Minister's permission, to circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
Mr. WESTDid not the hon. Gentleman the other day give figures which showed that the charges for these districts average 50 per cent. above the charges of local authorities, and does he not think that these extra charges by the companies in London constitute a heavy burden of hundreds of thousands of pounds on the people of London?
§ Mr. HORE-BELISHAI have given the hon. Gentleman full particulars, and, if any further question arises out of them, I shall be glad to answer it.
Mr. WESTDoes not the hon. Gentleman realise that the figures refute the fallacy that public authorities are not more efficient than private enterprise?
§ Following is the answer:
§ Of the 83 undertakings in the area of the London and Home Counties Electricity District, 10 have a separate standard or flat rate charge for lighting and do not offer the alternative of a two-part tariff under which the unit charge is not determined by the purpose for which electricity is consumed. Of these 10 undertakings, four municipal authorities and one company make a charge of 4d. per unit or under for lighting purposes. Of the undertakings which combine the offer of an all-in tariff with an alternative flat rate charge for lighting, the flat rate charge for lighting is 4d. or under in the case of 28 undertakings, of which 22 are "municipal" and the remaining six "company" undertakings.