§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Secretary of State for Energy, for each of the fuel and power industries, what was the level of demand in the latest 12 months for which figures are available; and what is his estimate of the effect on (a) revenue and (b) costs of an increase of 10 per cent in demand across the board, all other things being equal, and drawing down on stocks where these are above working requirements.
§ Mr. GrayFigures for the United Kingdom relating to the 12 months ending October 1981 are as follows:
Coal Production† 128.1 million tonnes Gas sent out‡ 16, 924 million therms Electricity Supplied 241.0 TWh Total output of Petroleum Products 72.2 million tonnes † Includes an estimate for slurry, etc. recovered and disposed of otherwise than by the National Coal Board. ‡ Town and Natural Gas. Source: "Energy Trends".
For the second part of the question about the effects of an increase of 10 per cent. in demand, I have asked the chairmen of the boards to write to the hon. Member. The situation within the petroleum industry would vary markedly from company to company.