§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Secretary of State for Energy, in view of the fact that the price charged by the large oil companies for petrol in the United Kingdom has for decades been consistently higher, after allowances for revenue duties, than the price charged in other EEC countries except the Irish Republic, if he will now take steps designed to change this situation.
§ Mr. GrayReliable independent estimates of oil company market realisations from the wholesale supply of motor spirit are available only for the last six years. During the years supplying companies' prices in the United Kingdom have been in line with, and at times below, those of other EEC countries.
Production, Consumption (Deliveries) and Exports of LPG (Butane and Propane) Thousand tonnes 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 *1980 Indigenous Production — — — — — — 75 208 400 466 496 Refinery Production 1,181 1,236 1,463 1,655 1,602 1,447 1,575 1,539 1,613 1,604 1,008 Refinery Fuel n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 37 35 12 Total Production †1,181 †1,236 †1,463 †1,655 †1,602 †1,447 †1,650 †1,747 2,050 2,105 1,516 Inland Deliveries †1,173 †1,182 †1,447 †1,600 †1,413 †1,274 †1330 †1,320 1,355 1,481 947 Refinery Use n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 37 35 12 Domestic 73 78 83 91 91 91 90 130 154 166 ‡99 Gas making 636 428 356 261 72 53 46 26 28 32 16 Iron and Steel 34 131 61 62 37 43 50 55 56 24 ‡15 Other Industry 460 545 947 1,175 1,187 1,069 1,123 1,090 1,013 1,128 ‡720 Petrochemical feedstock n/a n/a n/a 11 26 18 21 19 67 96 85 Exports 105 131 136 168 167 176 316 465 758 737 600 Belgium 2 3 10 11 6 2 12 4 13 10 15 Denmark 2 7 16 21 14 15 37 20 38 39 64 France 2 12 3 7 5 7 8 15 48 41 34 West Germany — — — 1 — — 1 3 — 1 — Ireland 42 30 41 50 65 67 87 93 110 120 81 Italy — — 1 — — 23 4 3 2 — 20 Netherlands 1 4 8 2 3 3 11 11 89 133 114 Norway 1 — 2 — 1 — 3 4 62 62 23 Sweden — — 1 4 21 8 9 32 33 33 65