§ Mr. Kilroy-Silkasked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will give an assurance that it is not the Government's intention to abandon the policy of subsiding gas and electricity to domestic consumers.
§ Mr. BennIt remains our policy, as announced in my right hon. Friend's Budget Statement of 12th November 1974, to phase out Government subsidies to the gas and electricity industries for price restraint as soon as possible. As my hon. Friend the previous Minister of State—the hon. Member for Lanarkshire, North (Mr. Smith)—indicated in reply to the hon. Member for Eastbourne (Mr. Gow) on 22nd March 1976—[Vol. 908, cols. 13–15]—we are not expecting losses for either industry for the current financial year.