§ Mr. McCrindleasked the Secretary of State for Energy if he has any plans to introduce legislation to limit the monopoly buying power of the Central Electricity Generating Board and introduce more competition into the provision of energy; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. GoodladThe Government have no plans to legislate in this area. The coal purchase agreement between the CEGB and British Coal is a commercial matter for the board and the corporation. A competitive element has already been introduced into power generation by means of the Energy Act 1983 which established a framework for fair trading between private generators and electricity boards. Private sector operators can now generate as a main business and have a guaranteed market for their electricity at fair prices.