§ Mr. Woofasked the Secretary of State for Energy what commitment, and what amount of financial investment, is mainly devoted in developing domestic sources of energy, particularly in oil, coal, natural gas, and nuclear energy.
§ Mr. BennThe reality of our commitment is demonstrated by the Public Expenditure White Paper (Cmnd. 5879) as revised in subsequent reviews, e.g. the Plan for Coal, and by the 1975–76 Supply Estimates. The relevant figures for the current year are given in the following table.
£m (1974 Prices) (i) Construction of power stations (Great Britain)* 357 (ii) Coal* 149 (ii) Natural Gas* 209 (iv) North Sea exploration by nationalised industries' subsidiaries 67 (v) Research, development etc. by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority 100 (vi) Department of Energy, research and development 7 (vii) Department of Energy, assistance towards offshore development projects 24 Total 913 * Including research and development.