§ Mr. MeacherTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total expenditure of his Department on advertising and promoting share offers in(a) gas, (b) electricity, (c) water and (d) telecommunications.
§ Mr. DorrellThe table shows the cost to the Government of marketing the privatisations and secondary offers within the sectors specified. The marketing expenses include the costs of advertising. The costs of the privatisation of Northern Ireland Electricity plc will shortly be reported to Parliament.
Marketing costs of privatisations and secondary offers Share offer Year £ million BT 1984 14 British Gas 1986 40 Water 1989 136 Electricity (England and Wales) 1990–91 1222 Electricity (Scotland) 1991 16 BT 1991 40 BT 1993 31 1 Excluding VAT. 2 Costs to 31 December 1991.