§ 18. Mr. Hamlingasked the Minister of Power whether he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT statistics showing the prices of gas for various classes of 818 domestic consumers in the area of the South-Eastern Gas Board at 1st November for each of the following years, namely, 1951, 1955, 1959, 1964 and 1967.
§ Mr. FreesonFull details of the various tariffs available are published by the South Eastern Gas Board. Statistics of the average revenue per therm, taken from the Board's Annual Reports and Accounts, will be reproduced in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Mr. HamlingCan my hon. Friend indicate to the House how far this industry has managed to meet rising costs in relation to its existing prices?
§ Mr. FreesonYes, I am in full agreement, and I reply in the same spirit as I did to the previous Question.
§ The following is the information:
| SOUTH EASTERN GAS BOARD | |||
| AVERAGE REVENUE PER THERM FROM GAS SALES TO DOMESTIC CONSUMERS | |||
| Pemce per therm | |||
| Year | Prepayment consumers | Credit consumers | All domestic consumers |
| 1951–52 | 17.90 | 17.72 | 17.83 |
| 1955–56 | 21.48 | 21.44 | 21.46 |
| 1959–60 | 24.28 | 23.31 | 23.82 |
| 1964–65 | 30.09 | 25.91 | 27.47 |
| 1966–67 | 29.40 | 24.55 | 26.11 |
§ Source: Annual Reports and Accounts of the South Eastern Gas Board.
§ 21 and 29. Mr. G. Campbellasked the Minister of Power if he will make a statement on the price of gas in Scotland.
§ Mr. Dempseyasked the Minister of Power if he will refuse to agree to any further increase in Scottish gas prices as English prices are lower; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MarshI am awaiting the report of the National Board for Prices and Incomes, which is now considering the question of gas prices in Scotland, as elsewhere.
§ Mr. CampbellCan the Minister confirm that the prices of gas in Scotland are higher than those in any other board's area except one, and are the Government content to leave the situation like that?
§ Mr. MarshThe figure for the other boards ranges from 18.27d. to 29d. The average is 22.36d. Scotland averages 819 27.8d., so the Scottish figure is not the highest.
§ Mr. DempseyWill my right hon. Friend bear in mind that social insurance and postal services are both nationalised, yet the rate operating in Scotland is the same as that ruling elsewhere? Will he, therefore, try to get uniformity for gas prices by reducing what are the higher rates in Scotland to the lower rates in England?
§ Mr. MarshThis is a very complicated problem, because if there were a national tariff for the industry it would stimulate demand in the more costly areas and reduce it in the less costly, and that would have the effect of making the industry as a whole less economically viable than it is.