§ Q26. Mr. Grimondasked the Prime Minister if she will direct that all Ministers who have any responsibility for nationalised industries or services shall carry out a survey to determine to what extent such industries are directly responsible to democratically elected bodies or are liable to competition in their own field.
§ Mr. WhitelawI have been asked to reply.
No. The nationalised industries are responsible to their sponsoring Ministers who are in turn responsible to Parliament. The extent of competition to which the industries are subject varies widely and is bound to do so given the wide range of goods and services they provide: some have statutory monopolies, others are subject to limited competition, while others are in full competition in their own fields. But the Government are considering how and where competition can be increased.