§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Secretary of State for Energy what has been the price per ton of coal to the consumer in each of the past four years, including the 505W latest increase; and what percentage of that price has been attributable to labour costs.
§ Mr. EadieCoal prices to both domestic and industrial consumers vary
£/ton November November November November 1971 1972 1973 1974 General industrial coal (delivered) … 8.2 8.7 9.2 15.2 Domestic bituminous coal (Group C—Birmingham) … 15.7 17.8 18.4 22.4 Labour costs cannot be directly related to consumer prices. However, the following table shows labour costs as a percentage
1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 Industrial labour costs (£ Mm.) … 382.6 388.6 489.6 486.2 Total NCB costs (£ Mm.) … 784.6 855.2 994.9 971.7 Labour costs as percentage of total costs … 48.8 45.4 49.2 50.0