§ 25. Mr. Ridsdaleasked the Minister of Power what effect he estimates the discovery of gas supplies in the North Sea will have on pricing policy in the nationalised industries.
§ Mr. MarshI do not expect the advent of North Sea gas to cause any fundamental change in the general principles of pricing policy as set out in last year's White Paper on Fuel Policy (Cmnd. 2798).
§ Mr. RidsdaleWill the Minister do all he can to encourage competition between various types of fuel and allow market forces, and not the Minister, to determine the price?
§ Mr. MarshNo, Sir. I would have thought that what we need to do is to discover the best way of using all the different sources of energy that we have and, having decided what is the best way, to consider how best to ensure that this pattern is met.