§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list, with respect to power station coal and fuel oil, the coal-oil price ratio for each year between 1973 and the latest date for which figures are available.
§ Mr. Norman LamontFollowing is the coal-oil price ratio based on the annual average prices of fuels used by the public supply system in Great Britain
Year Coal p/therm Oil p/therm 1973 1.04 1974 0.61 1975 0.71 1976 0.74 1977 0.70 1978 0.80 1979 (provisional) 0.81 Notes:
(1) Source 1973–1978—derived from Table 88 of 1979 Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics using calorific value of power station fuel for relevant years.(2) The prices, including a provisional figure for 1979, are derived from information provided annually by the electricity supply industry in Great Britain.(3) Oil for burning include oils used for lighting up furnaces fired by pulverised fuel. The oil fuel prices include duty.It should be noted that the average ratio given for each year conceals variations in the relative prices of the fuels throughout the year.