§ Mr. Moonmanasked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will publish in the Official Report details of those areas of work of his Department for which time cycles have been prepared covering the next 10 years or more; how far these have been budgeted for; what advice he has sought; and whether such planning has taken into account socio-economic models and the experience of other countries.
§ Mr. BennMy Department prepares long-term projections of energy demand and supply. An indication of their scope was given in the minutes of evidence on 12th March to the Energy Resources Sub-Committee of the Select Committee on Science and Technology. Another example covering a 10-year cycle is the Coal Industry Examination. I am sending copies of these papers to my hon. Friend. Specific plans for the allocation of resources do not extend beyond the limits of the annual White Paper on public expenditure. Mathematical models and other analytical techniques including, where appropriate, social cost-benefit analysis are used, but if my hon. Friend has advice to offer on the value of socioeconomic models or experience from abroad I should be glad to have it.