§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will compare the number of people employed in each State corporation for which he has responsibility at the date of nationalisation and for the most recent date for which figures are available.
§ Mr. BennThe following figures represent the best comparable numbers available:
National Coal Board No. of employees at 4th Jan. 1947 755,000 No. of employees at 31st March 1978 303,300 Electricity Supply Industry (England and Wales) No. of employees at 30th April 1949 147,166 No. of employees at 31st March 1978 158,723 British Gas Corporation No. of employees at 31st March 1950 140,611 No. of employees at 31st March 1978 99,600 The British National Oil Corporation employed approximately 40 people on vesting day, 1st January 1976. On 31st March 1978 the number of employees was 838.