§ Mr. Hordernasked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will publish a letter showing the sums of debt written off, interest forgone, and additional sums given to the National Coal Board, British Gas, and the electricity authorities in each of the last 10 years.
§ Mr. David HowellThe only incidence of debt written off or interest forgone in any of the three industries since 1970–71 has been the write-off of £449.6 million in respect of the National Coal Board for 1972–73. Government grants to the industries (excluding regional development grants) for the period 1970–71 to 1979–80 were as follows:
§ Mr. LuceTo the best of our knowledge, no such requirement has been placed on British firms in South Africa.