§ Mr. Spriggsasked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will publish in the Official Report a list showing how prices compare, in actual costs and as a percentage, between industrial and domestic users of each type of fuel used for heating, and for road transport both freight and passenger in each member nation of the
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TABLE 1 PRICES OF OIL PRODUCTS IN EEC COUNTRIES ON 12 NOVEMBER 1979 (inclusive of taxes and duties) Premium petrol Regular petrol Dery Heating oil pence per gallon Heavy fuel oil* Belgium … … 147 144 96 61 29 Denmark … … 155 153 91 82 51 Germany … … 128 122 125 69 37 France … … 161 145 102 60 38 Ireland … … … 119 117 92 60 45 Italy … … … 143 141 63 54 33 £Netherlands … … 135 131 90 60 38 Luxembourg … … 147 144 96 61 29 United Kingdom … 116 114 122 56 34 National currencies have been converted at the exchange rate current on 12 November 1979. * Deliveries to small industrial consumers only. † Includes a special environmental protection charge. European Economic Community, respectively.
§ Mr. Norman Lamont[pursuant to his reply, 14 January 1980, c. 579]: Further information is as follows.
Up-to-date information for each member country of the EEC is not available for most fuels. I have, however, arranged for the latest available figures for electricity, oil, gas and solid fuel in both domestic and industrial sectors to be incorporated as tables in the Official Report.
The latest available information for electricity prices is that given in reply to questions from the hon. Members for Hazel Grove (Mr. Arnold) and Bedford (Mr. Skeet) on 7 December 1979.—[Vol. 975, c. 396–98.] The prices are based on tariffs in force at the beginning of August 1978.
In the case of oil, reasonably up-to-date prices related to 12 November 1979 are available to my Department and are shown at table 1.
The price of natural gas to domestic and industrial consumers varies from region to region in most EEC countries and, within regions, tariffs vary according to consumption. The latest figures available are based on tariffs in force on 1 January 1978. The prices shown in table 2 are for a selected city in each EEC country and for two levels of consumption, in each sector. VAT is included where appropriate.
Figures for coal, relevant to each sector and related to the same date, form table 3.
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TABLE 2 GAS PRICES (INCLUSIVE OF TAXES) IN EEC COUNTRIES AS AT 1st JANUARY 1978 Pence/therm* City Annual Consumption (Domestic) Annual Consumption (Industrial) 80 therms 1,200 therms 4,000 therms 4,000,000 therms Dusseldorf … … … 77.3 33.5 38.0 17.8 Paris … … … … 57.1 25.9 24.4 12.4 Rome … … … … 32.0 28.6 22.1 13.3 Rotterdam … … … 33.0 17.9 17.0 14.3 Copenhagen* … … … 68.6 43.1 51.6 Not available Brussels … … … 64.9 27.1 25.4 14.3 Luxembourg … … … 64.9 22.1 18.4 Not available London … … … 32.8 17.3 18.6 15.1 Dublin … … … 46.1 34.4 34.1 Not available Source: EEC publication Eurostat Gas Prices 1976–78 Notes: * National currencies have been converted at exchange rates current on 1st January 1978. † Prices for town gas only available. ‡ Based solely upon the Domestic Credit tariff.
TABLE 3 COAL PRICES (INCLUSIVE OF TAXES) IN EEC COUNTRIES AS AT 1st JANUARY 1978 £ per Tonne Oil Equivalent* Domestic Anthracite Industrial Steam Coal Belgium … … … 112.76 64.88 Denmark … … … Not available Not available Germany … … … 110.88 66.03 France … … … 73.12 40.59 Ireland … … … 95.30 Not available Italy … … … 75.98 34.01 Netherlands … … 117.14 33.25 Luxembourg … … Not available Not available United Kingdom … … 69.7 44.1 Source: OECD publication Energy Statistics 1975/1977 * The prices are shown for units of tonnes of oil equivalent which is the usual unit for international comparisons where allowances need to be made for differing calorific values between countries. A tonne of oil equivalent is taken to be ten million kilo-calories.