§ 42. Mr. D. Marshallasked the Minister of Fuel and Power if he is aware that consumers of electricity at times give guarantees to use a minimum specified amount of electricity a year; and whether he will make regulations to safeguard the consumer with regard to these guarantees if the enforced cuts prevent the consumption of this amount.
§ Mr. ShinwellThe purpose of these guarantees is to enable the undertaking to recover from the consumer a proportion of the fixed costs falling upon the undertaking. As I pointed out in my reply to the hon. Member for Kingston-upon-Thames (Mr. Boyd-Carpenter) on 27th February, the present curtailment of supplies cannot result in any substantial reduction in these costs and I cannot agree that undertakings should in present conditions be required to reduce their charges.