§ Mr. Hodgsonasked the Secretary of State for Energy what charges his Department makes annually for the commercial use of oil pipelines and harbour installations maintained by his Department for home defence purposes; and how the amounts of such charges are decided upon.
§ Dr. J. Dickson MabonThe income for the financial year 1977–78 from the commercial users of the Government pipeline system is expected to be about £1.8 million. The income from the one commercial user of associated harbour installations—the jetty at Killingholme—is relatively small, and cannot for commercial reasons be divulged. Long-term contracts have generally been negotiated with commercial users of the pipeline, and the charges under these contracts take full 847W account of the costs of operating and maintaining the pipeline and of market conditions at the time of negotiation.