HC Deb 01 July 1985 vol 82 cc41-2W
Mr. Gould

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the parts of the publicly-owned sector which have been privatised since 1979, distinguishing between nationalised industries and other organisations.

Mr. Moore

The 1985 public expenditure White Paper (Cmnd. 9428, table 2.14) gives details of special sales of assets from 1979–80 to 1983–94. The main sales in 1984–85 were Enterprise Oil, British Telecom, the Government's remaining shares in Associated British Ports Holdings, various National Enterprise Board shareholdings, and ninth round North sea oil licence premia. Full details for 1984–85 will be published in the

(£ million)
1982–83 1983–84 1984–85
Industry EFL* Revised EFL* Outturn† EFL‡ Revised EFL‡ Outturn≑ EFL Revised EFL●
National Coal Board 1,026 962 951 1,111 1,195 1,183 1,103 1,094
Electricity (England & Wales) -232 -148 -154 -312 -418 -485 -740 -746
North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board 11 9 -2 7 -2 -20 -2 -3
South of Scotland Electricity Board 214 211 127 283 274 253 261 261
British Gas Corporation -75 -87 -230 -8 -43 -45 -100 -188
British National Oil Corporation▀ -85 -85 -60 -1 9 10 -4 66
British Steel Corporation 350 575 568 195 321 318 275 343
British Telecom⋆ 340 310 -323 96 -117 -225 -250 -262
Post Office -25 -56 -60 -43 -51 -62 -52 -60
National Girobank — — -1 — -1 -1 -1 -1
British Airways Board⋆ -9 -10 -35 5 -58 -174 -160 -162
British Airports Authority 48 47 2 33 33 18 10 10
British Railways Board 950 923 848 960 953 811 936 930
British Transport Docks Board# -7 -7 -12 — — — — —
British Waterways Board 40 39 39 42 41 41 43 43
National Bus Company 71 68 62 67 65 65 66 64
Scottish Transport Group 21 20 8 19 19 15 16 15
British Shipbuilders 125 122 120 150 180 306 175 217
Civil Aviation Authority — — 3 21 21 -8 20 19
Water (England and Wales) — — 291 365 359 350 286 287
Enterprise Oil⋆ — — — — — -65 — —
Total Industries 2,763 2,893 2,143 2,989 2,780 2,285 1,881 1,927
Notes:
* as in cash limits 1982–83 provisional outturn White Paper (Cmnd. 8987), table 6. EFL column is also as in 1982–83 Financial Statement and Budget report, table 21. Water (England and Wales) and the Civil Aviation Authority were not at that time included with the nationalised industries for EFL purposes.
† as in 1984 public expenditure White Paper (Cmnd. 9143), table 3.3
‡ as in cash limits 1983–84 provisional outturn White Paper (Cmnd. 9323), table 6. EFL column is also as in 1983 public expenditure White Paper (Cmnd. 8789), table 3.5.
≑ as in 1985 public expenditure White Paper (Cmnd. 9428), table 5.3.

next public expenditure White Paper. Additionally, in 1984–85, BLMC Limited sold Jaguar PLC and retained the receipts.

Among the main concerns transferred to the private sector since 1979, the following were, or were part of, nationalised industries:

  • British Aerospace
  • National Freight Company
  • Britoil
  • Associated British Ports Holdings
  • International Aeradio
  • British Rail Hotels
  • Wytch Farm
  • Enterprise Oil
  • Sealink
  • British Telecommunications
  • Scott Lithgow

British Rail, British Shipbuilders, British Steel Corporation, National Coal Board and Scottish Transport Group have also disposed of a number of other smaller subsidiaries and peripheral activities during the period.