asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will take steps to request all public sector enterprises not to increase their charges to the private sector.

No. Artificially holding down nationalised industry prices is not an appropriate way of helping the private sector and adds to the burden on taxpayers. The Government's policy is to promote efficiency in the nationalised industries by providing a tight financial framework within which they must operate. Increased efficiency and lower costs provide the only firm basis for keeping down nationalised industry prices.