asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what duties are levied on fuel used to operate domestic services within the United Kingdom by the nationalised air, rail, road and freight corporations; and what rebates may be claimed against these operations.

The fuels used by the nationalised air, rail, road and freight corporations receive no reliefs from the hydro-carbon oil duty other than those generally available. The rates of excise duty for the fuels principally concerned are:

	Pence per litre
Petrol	6·6
Aviation gasolene	6·6
Diesel fuel—
Road transport only	7·7
Other than road transport	0·55
Aviation kerosene	0·55
Gas—road transport only	3·3

Where these fuels are chargeable with VAT the tax is wholly reclaimable. All operators of stage bus services may claim a grant, administered by the Secretary of State for Transport, equal to the duty charged on the fuel they use for these services.