§ 71. Mr. W. H. GREENasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he can make any statement with regard to the institution of an inquiry arising out of the revised methods of charge recently proposed to be made by the South Metropolitan Gas Company; and whether any such inquiry will cover the general question of the present methods of regulating the charges of gas undertakers?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANAs the House will be aware, a dispute arose recently in South London regarding an alteration in the tariff of charges of the South Metropolitan Gas Company. This company, and a number of others which operate under the basic price system of regulating charges, obtain their powers in this respect direct from Parliament under private Acts. The Board of Trade have no power to intervene in the present case. In the circumstances, I propose to move very shortly for the appointment of a Joint Select Committee of both Houses of Parliament to inquire into the powers of regulating charges possessed by this company and others operating under the basic price system and into that system generally.