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Nationalised Industries

Volume 887: debated on Monday 24 February 1975

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25.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will require the nationalised coal, gas and electricity industries to show in their annual reports their working surpluses or deficits before the deduction of interest charges, and that each such annual report should state the total sum contributed in the year under review to the National Exchequer in the form of interest payments.

The annual reports and accounts of these industries already provide information in this form.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what the net loss of the coal, electricity and gas industries has been from 1948 to the present day.

Over the financial years 1948–49 to 1973–74 inclusive the nationalised energy industries made a net profit of £16·8 million. The individual industries' results for the period concerned were as follows:

Coal: £497·3 million net loss.
Electricity: £446·3 million net profit*.
Gas: £67·8 million net profit.
These results are given before Government grants to meet deficits on the revenue account and compensation for price restraint, but after grants received for other specific purposes.
*Up to 1954–55 these figures include South of Scotland Electricity Board. Thereafter, the figures refer to England and Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what the output per £100 of labour and capital, of the nationalised industries for which he is responsible, has been in the year 1971, and in subsequent years, as compared with private manufacturing industries.

On a very crude basis of calculation, about two-thirds over the period as a whole. But the comparison is meaningless not least because of the form of the price restraint policies operated by the previous Conservative Government.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what proportion of the total national investment in fixed assets has gone to the nationalised industries for which he is responsible on average since 1948.

Calculated as an un-weighted average of the proportions in each year, gross fixed capital formation in the coal, electricity and gas industries in the period 1948 to 1973 of the corresponding United Kingdom total was 11·1 per cent. Figures for 1974 are not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what subsidies have been received by the nationalised industries for which he is responsible from 1956 to the present day, including subsidies on current accounts, capital grants and debts written off.

Following is the information requested:

NATIONAL COAL BOARD
£m.
1956–651965–661966–671967–681968–691969–701970–711971–721972–731973–74
Grants in connection with pit closures1·35·210·89·28·59·39·117·0
Reimbursement of contributions to early retirement benefits3·11·32·30·81·22·5
Reimbursement of losses incurred in postponing pit closures1·01·4
Reimbursement of contributions towards increased pensions8·3
Operational grants109·0
Grants to meet deficits on revenue account100·02·5
Debt written off in capital reconstruction415·0*449·6†
Total415·01·36·215·310·510·8110·1459·9139·3
Grand Total for the period 1956 to 1974–75=£1,168·4.
* Includes 90·8 in respect of accumulated revenue losses to the end of March 1965 and 24·8 for revenue losses in 1965–66.
† Includes 174·5 in respect of accumulated revenue losses to the end of March 1973.

BRITISH GAS CORPORATION
£m.

1966–67

*

1967–68

1968–69

1969–70

1970–71

1971–72

1972–73

1973–74

Compensation for additional gasification of coal and production of coke1·21·20·6
Compensation for accelerating capital expenditure to promote employment0·4
Compensation for price restraint33·4
Total for year1·21·20·633·8
Grand Total 1966–1973–74=£36·8 million.

* Figures for the period prior to 1966 are not readily available.

ELECTRICITY INDUSTRY (ENGLAND AND WALES)
£m.

1956–67

1967–68

1968–69

1969–70

1970–71

1971–72

1972–73

1973–74

Compensation for price restraint92·3
Compensation for additional stock build19·95·0
Payments for the cost of additional coal burn1·59·23·40·70·8
Payments in connection with advanced capital expenditure0·7
Total for year1·59·23·40·70·819·998·0
Grand Total for the period 1958–1974–75=£1,335.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what was the net return on assets since 1955 for the nationalised industries for which he is responsible as compared with privately-owned companies.

I regret that I am not yet in a position to give the hon. Member an answer on this matter, but I shall let him have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what sum has been paid by the nationalised industries for which he is responsible in United Kingdom taxes on income during the period 1962 to the present day, as compared with privately-owned companies.

No payments of taxes on income were made by these industries during the period 1962 to 1973 inclusive. During the same period taxes on income paid by privately-owned companies amounted to £13,691 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what the average increase in output per £100 of extra capital investment has been in the nationalised industries for which he is responsible from 1938 until the present day, as compared with private manufacturing companies.

I regret that this information could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.