§ Mr. Rowlandsasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will list the contribution to be made by each individual nationalised industry towards the reduction in the external financing limits for nationalised industries to minus £110 million in 1987–88 as forecast in table 5.1 of Cmnd. 9428–11.
§ Mr. Peter ReesNo. It has never been the practice to publish external financing limits for individual industries beyond the year ahead. Later years figures for individual industries are subject to particular uncertainties arising from possible fluctuations in trading conditions and from the nature of external finance, being the residual between large offsetting flows of revenue and costs. The publication of such figures could well be misleading.
§ Mr. Rowlandsasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assumptions have been made about the percentage rise in gas and electricity prices in arriving at the reduction in external financing limits for nationalised industries in 1987–88 of minus £110 million in table 5.1 of Cmnd. 9428–11.
§ Mr. Peter ReesDecisions on tariffs are a matter for the industries concerned. However, the external financing figures published in table 5.1 of Cmnd. 9428–11 are consistent over the period of the public expenditure plans with price increases for gas broadly in line with the rate of inflation and for electricity slightly below the rate of inflation.