§ Mr. Skeetasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the comparative prices of electricity, coal and natural gas used for domestic consumption on the assumption that 1964 was the base year taken as 100.
§ Mr. BennI have been asked to reply.
Taking 1964 as 100, prices on 13th January 1976 derived from the sub-groups of the General Index of Retail Prices for each individual fuel were:
Electricity 303 Coal and coke 323 Gas* 197 * Including manufactured gas. There was no natural gas available to domestic consumers in 1964. These figures show how the price level of each fuel has changed between 1964 and 1976 and do not show the relative levels of fuel prices compared with one another in January 1976.