§ 42. Mr. Thorpeasked the Minister of Power what plans he has for providing capital to assist the South Western Elec- 1004 tricity Board in speeding up electrification of rural areas in the West Country.
§ Mr. WoodThe Board's capital investment programme, which I approved last autumn, provides for the expenditure of £850,000 rural electrification in 1961–62 compared with £780,000 in the previous year. I am considering the estimates for the two following years which the Board has submitted to me. The pace of rural development depends not only on the capital available, but on the Board's decision as to how far its revenue is sufficient to meet outgoings chargeable to revenue account.
§ Mr. ThorpeDoes the right hon. Gentleman agree that that basis of computation under Section 13 of the 1957 Act means that the rate of rural electrification is very slow where there are very small urban receipts? Is he aware that in the South-West only 60 per cent. of farms are on mains connection, which is the lowest percentage in England and Wales, and that in the Barnstaple district it is less than 45 per cent.? Will he consider the possibility of a special injection of capital to enable the rural electrification scheme to be speeded up, possibly to be made a charge against the Annual Price Review?
§ Mr. WoodI am aware of the comparatively low percentage figure in that part of the country, partly due to the fact that at vesting date the proportion of the farms connected in the South-West was lower than in other parts of the country. The injection of special finance would be inconsistent with the principles of the Electricity Act, 1957. The Board's investment expenditure proposals for last year were approved by the Government in full.