The Earl of HALSBURYasked Her Majesty's Government:
What were the mean annual prices per therm of coal (ex-colliery), imported oil (cif), North Sea oil (landed) and North Sea gas (landed and purified) during the 10-year period 1969–78 at 1978 prices.
§ Lord STRABOLGIThe average prices for each year shown in the table have been adjusted to conform to constant values of the pound by use of the Wholesale Price Index related to materials and fuels purchased by manufacturing industry. The requested price information relates to what are basically raw materials destined for varying amounts of further processing to produce usable fuels and it is thus inappropriate and possibly mis- 1889WA leading to convert these to a single common heat unit. The figures have thus been shown in terms of their original units.
The available data closest to that requested has been provided; financial year data has been used where calendar year data is not available. "Supplies of Petroleum crude from the North Sea" commenced in 1975; the average prices shown include the small amounts of Petroleum crude from land based production. The purchases of "Natural gas used by the public supply gas industry in Great Britain" includes some imported and land based supplies. There are no separate figures readily available for landed and purified North Sea gas.
PRICES OF CERTAIN FUEL RAW MATERIALS AT CONSTANT VALUES OF THE POUND(1) Revenue of National Coal Board colliery operations(2) Petroleum Crude imports into the UK Sales of Petroleum Crude from UK sources Natural Gas used by the Public supply gas industry in Great Britain (£/tonne) (£/tonne) (£/tonne) (pence/therm) 1968/69 18.7 1968/69 7.9 1969/70 18.5 1969 26.5 1969 — 1969/70 5.4 1970/71 20.2 1970 24.6 1970 — 1970/71 4.5 1971/72 21.9 1971 29.7 1971 — 1971/72 4.2 1972/73 21.7 1972 28.8 1972 — 1972/73 3.7 1973/74 17.9 1973 28.5 1973 — 1973/74 2.8 1974/75 19.1 1974 56.7 1974 — 1974/75 2.5 1975/76 21.6 1975 56.6 1975 61.2 1975/76 2.4 1976/77 20.7 1976 58.9 1976 62.8 1976/77 2.2 1977/78 22.0 1977 57.9 1977 59.0 1977/78 2.8 1978 53.5 1978 — Notes:
(1) Proceeds of National Coal Board mining operations and Natural Gas used by the public supply gas industry are shown for constant values of the pound as at 1977–78. Petroleum crudes are shown for constant values of the pound as at 1978.
(2) Includes grants under the Coal Industry Acts.
(3) Data to the end of 1977 includes some partly-refined petroleum crude destined for further refining.