HL Deb 04 March 1975 vol 357 cc1240-2WA
Baroness BURTON of COVENTRY

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will provide (1) a list of public corporations with statutory responsibility to provide certain goods and services; and (2) the names of the relative consumer consultative bodies where such exist together with the date of establishment.

Lord JACQUES

The information which I am able to provide in answer to the noble Baroness' Question is as follows:

Public Corporation Relative Consumer Body When Established
Electricity Council and Area Boards, North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board, South of Scotland Electricity Board. Electricity Consultative Councils The first chairmen were appointed on 1st October 1948, under the Electricity Act 1947 and the Councils were set up in the following months.
British Gas Corporation National and Regional Gas Consumers' Councils. The present councils were formally set up, under the Gas Act 1972, on 1st January 1973.
British Steel Corporation The British Iron and Steel Consumers' Council. Originally set up under the Iron and Steel Act 1967, it has been a non-statutory body since January 1973 with the passing of the European Communities Act.
Post Office Post Office Users'Councils The appointment of the Post Office Users' National Council, under the Post Office Act 1969, was announced on 13th January 1970 and was established shortly afterwards, together with councils for Scotland, Wales and Mon-mouthshire and Northern Ireland.
British Airways Board, Aviation Authority Civil Airline Users' Committee The Civil Aviation Authority has a statutory responsibility for looking after the interests of air transport users and, under this responsibility, the Airline Users' Committee was set up in 1973; the first meeting was held on 10th October 1973.
British Airports Authority Airport Consultative Committees The present committees were formally established under the British Airports Authority Act 1965. Committees at Heathrow, Gatwick and Edinburgh existed before the Act but those at Prestwick, Stansted and Aberdeen were set up in 1966, 1969 and 1972 respectively.
National Bus Company None.
British Railways Board, British Transport Docks Board, British Waterways Board, National Freight Corporation, Scottish Transport Group. Central and Area Transport Users' Consultative Committees. The first chairman of the Central Committee was appointed on 19th January 1949, under the Transport Act 1947,
Independent Broadcasting Authority. Various advisory bodies, the most important of which is the General Advisory Council, which was originally set up in 1964 by the then Independent Television Authority.
Sugar Board None.
White Fish Authority, Herring Industry Board. There is no specific consumer body for these corporations although they do have Advisory Councils, which include consumer representatives, whose duty it is to advise generally on the performance of their functions.

The British Broadcasting Corporation was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1926 and therefore does not have "statutory" responsibilities. However, like the IBA, it has various advisory bodies, again the most important of which is the General Advisory Council set up in 1934.

House adjourned at fourteen minutes past five o'clock.