§ Mr. WebbTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what estimate she has made of the real level of average household bills for gas in Great Britain as a whole and for each region of Great Britain in each year since 1978. [12830]
§ Mr. BattleThe data are given in the table.
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Average annual household standard credit gas bills1,2: real 1995 prices3 including VAT £ 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 Competitive regions Phase 1 (all customers)6,7 — — — — — — — — — — Phase 2a (all customers)6,7 — — — — — — — — — — Phase 2b (all customers)6,7 — — — — — — — — — — Great Britain average 335 309 263 302 354 414 408 402 397 375
£ 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 41997 British Gas supply zones5 Main zone 351 343 341 345 — — — — — — North 349 343 341 345 — — — — — — Midlands 349 343 341 345 — — — — — — Competitive regions Phase 1 (all customers)6,7 — — — — — — — — 316 301 Phase 2a (all customers)6,7 — — — — — — — — 320 308 Phase 2b (all customers)6,7 — — — — — — — — 320 306 Great Britain average 351 343 341 345 334 309 315 327 320 309 Source:
Published tariffs.
Notes:
1 Based on equivalent of standard tariffs of British Gas and other supply companies. Based on an annual consumption of 17,600 kWh.
2 Bills relate to the total bill received during the year which for credit consumers covers consumption in Q4 of the previous year to Q3 in year in question and includes all tariff changes and rebates.
3 Real prices are cash prices adjusted for inflation as measured by the GDP market price deflator.
4 1997 bills are provisional in that they only include tariff changes announced up to August 1997 and therefore may be subject to revision if tariff changes occur. The 1997 deflator is an estimate and as such revisions may lead to changes in the real terms bill.
5 Supply zones are defined as Main: Scottish, North Thames, South Eastern, Eastern, Southern, Wales and South Western; North: North Eastern, North Western and Northern; Midlands: East and West.
6 Bills for the various trial competition regions are calculated so as to include the fact that those customers who switched supplier would have received their gas, prior to switching, from British Gas and charged BG tariffs for this gas. For example, the Phase 2a and 2b bills are based on the assumption that customers who switched in Phase 2a received gas supply from the new supplier from 10 February 1997, and for Phase 2b from 7 March 1997. Prior to these dates the customers are taken to be on British Gas tariffs (e.g. national or main zone).
7 Phase 1 covers Cornwall, Devon and Somerset, Phase 2a covers the County of Avon and Dorset and Phase 2b covers Kent and East and West Sussex.