§ Mr. Forresterasked the Minister of Power what provision is being made for the financing of the National Industrial Fuel Efficiency Service when the present guarantee period ends next March.
§ Mr. MasonSince 1954 the nationalised fuel industries have guaranteed payments (now averaging £180,000 a year) which have helped to finance N.I.F.E.S.' expenditure in the fields of education, training and general promotional activities not hitherto recovered in fees, but these payments will end in March, 1969.
The steady growth over the last 15 years in N.I.F.E.S.' income (now approaching £490,000 a year) from its fee earning work gives reason to expect that it can become self-supporting within the next few years and this is its objective. In order to achieve this there will need to be more adjustments in the non-fee-earning services it provides, but to assist N.I.F.E.S. in the interim and to achieve its objective the Government has agreed to provide a measure of support (averaging up to half the rate of the current guarantee) for the next three years.
Arrangements will be made to ask the House in due course to vote the necessary funds in 1969–70 to 1971–72. If any assistance is required before the necessary funds are available, recourse will be made to the Civil Contingencies Fund.