§ Mr. Skeetasked the Minister of Power how many agreements have been concluded between oil companies in the United Kingdom and area gas boards providing for the supply of petroleum distillates or other petroleum fractions for conversion into town gas; and what estimates have been supplied to him, to enable him to exercise his responsibilities regarding sanction of capital expenditure, regarding the percentage of domestic gas likely to be produced from petroleum or methane base by 1965, 1970 and 1975, respectively.
136W
§ Mr. ErrollContracts for raw material supplies are the commercial responsibility of individual gas boards. I am told that there are at present some forty major contracts between the boards and oil companies for the supply of petroleum feedstocks. The gas industry's development programme envisages that by 1965–66 about half of total gas supplies will be based on oil and natural gas, compared with about one-quarter in 1962–63. No estimates have been made for 1970 or 1975.