§ Lord Stallardasked Her Majesty's Government:
What was the amount of increase in standing charges for (a) gas and (b) electricity between 1979 and 1984.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Energy (The Earl of Avon)The quarterly standing charge element for domestic credit meter consumers of gas in the Northern, Midlands and General Zones between March 1979 and March 1984 is shown in the table below:
March 1979** March 1980** March 1981** March 1982 March 1983 March 1984 £ £ £ £ £ £ Northern Zone* 4.10 4.43 5.66 7.50 9.20 9.20 Midlands Zone* 3.58 3.86 4.86 7.00 8.60 8.60 General Zone* 5.90 6.37 7.77 8.00 9.90 9.90 **Between 1977 and 1981 the British Gas Corporation had a 3-part tariff for domestic consumers, under which the first 52 therms consumed in any quarter were charged at a higher rate than subsequent therms. In order to produce comparable figures, the amount of the standing charge element has been adjusted to take account of this effect at March 1979, March 1980 and March 1981, using the same basis as the 1979 Price Commission Report. *The Northern Zone covers the British Gas Corporation's Northern, North Western and North Eastern Regions; the Midlands Zone covers their West Midlands and East Midlands Regions; and the General Zone covers the remainder. The quarterly standing charges of Area Electricity Boards in England and Wales under standard domestic credit tariffs is shown in the table below:
STANDARD DOMESTIC CREDIT TARIFFS—ENGLAND AND WALES March 1979 March 1980 March 1981 March 1982 March 1983 March 1984 £ £ £ £ £ £ LEB 3.43 4.45 6.35 7.00 7.45 7.45 SEEB 2.63 3.24 6.24 6.89 7.58 7.58 SEB 2.84 3.64 5.07 6.24 7.28 7.28 SWEB 3.50 4.05 5.45 6.45 7.50 7.50 EEB 2.86 3.90 5.07 5.85 6.37 6.37 EMEB 3.04 3.78 4.93 5.50 6.25 6.25 MEB 2.92 3.75 4.75 5.30 5.82 5.82 SWALEB 3.08 3.65 5.07 6.15 7.54 7.54 MANWEB 3.10 3.65 5.35 5.95 6.90 6.90 YEB 3.03 3.56(1) 4.60 5.45 6.35 6.35 NEEB 3.04 3.62(2) 4.75(3) 5.35 6.76 6.76 NWEB 2.70 3.24 4.30 5.10 6.00 6.00 (1) Equivalent: Effect of fixed charge £ 1.00 per quarter (pq) plus 72 Kwh pq @ 6.79 p/Kwh. (2) Equivalent: Effect of 91 Kwh pq at 7.31 p/Kwh. (3) Equivalent: Effect of 91 Kwh pq 9.55 p/Kwh.