Mr Timothy Eggar: I have never heard anything more nonsensical, even from the Opposition. This Government introduced competition in the south-west and made it possible for consumers to be offered reductions of up to 25 per cent. in their gas bills.
Mr Timothy Eggar: I absolutely agree. Consumers in the south-west trial area can choose their gas supplier from 10 different competitors, a number of which are offering supplies without a standing charge or with substantial discounts to low-use as well as high-use consumers. That good news for consumers has been widely welcomed throughout the south-west.
Mr Timothy Eggar: The hon. Gentleman always accentuates the negative. He is meant to represent the interests of consumers for his party, but we have not heard a single word of welcome from the hon. Gentleman for the substantial reductions in gas prices for individual consumers. The hon. Gentleman knows perfectly well that individual consumers in the south-west can get reductions in their gas bills of up to 25...
Mr Timothy Eggar: I completely agree. Those Conservative policies were introduced in the face of opposition by Labour Front-Benchers, whose arguments have been disproved by the results of competition so far in the south-west. I have no doubt that in the coming months large numbers of my hon. Friend's constituents will benefit considerably from reductions. He mentioned £70 off the average gas bill, but in my...
Mr Timothy Eggar: No such request has been received. Launch aid is granted under the Civil Aviation Act 1982 and is not available for military projects.
Mr Timothy Eggar: I take note of my hon. Friend's views. With regard to the future of Airbus Industrie, it is the Government's view that the highest priority is the rationalisation and increased competitiveness of Airbus Industrie, thus enabling it to compete effectively with Boeing and other aircraft manufacturers.
Mr Timothy Eggar: Certain of the Airbus Industrie aircraft already use Rolls-Royce engines, but clearly it is important that if Airbus Industrie is to add to its existing range of aircraft, it should do so in a commercially sensible way, producing the highest quality aircraft at the lowest cost, thus giving a return both to shareholders and to Governments.
Mr Timothy Eggar: The reserves estimates for 1995 are still in preparation and will be published in volume 2 of the "Energy Report" later this month. At the end of 1994, however, remaining discovered reserves were estimated to lie between 575 million and 2,075 million tonnes of oil and 660 billion and 1,915 billion cu m of gas.
Mr Timothy Eggar: The considerable revenues that have flowed from North sea oil and gas have been invested in infrastructure, the health service and education—and, I might add, in repaying a fair proportion of the debts left to the country by the last Labour Government. But the most important aspect of the North sea oil and gas industry is the employment that flows from it, both directly and indirectly. It...
Mr Timothy Eggar: I speak from memory, but I believe that in the late 1970s there were confident predictions from the right hon. Member for Chesterfield (Mr. Benn) that the United Kingdom would be coming to the end of its oil production during the latter part of the millennium.
Mr Timothy Eggar: The Government have been working with a wide range of organisations to promote and improve senior management skills which are an essential component of improving competitiveness.
Mr Timothy Eggar: The hon. Gentleman rightly pays tribute to the work of the university of Warwick, and I join him in that. He fails, however, to recognise the considerable increase in the number of graduate business schools which are developing manufacturing expertise among senior management. He fails also to pay tribute to the work done at those business schools. Any fair-minded analysis of the present state...
Mr Timothy Eggar: I beg to move, to leave out from "House" to the end of the Question and to add instead thereof: 'congratulates the Nuclear Electric and Scottish Nuclear companies which, with the advent of competition in the electricity market and the prospect of privatisation, have transformed their performanceover the past six years; congratulates the Government on the planned sale of the nuclear power...
Mr Timothy Eggar: Of course I will give way to the right hon. Lady, if she wishes to contradict her hon. Friend.
Mr Timothy Eggar: I suggest that what is entirely inappropriate is for such issues to be raised in the way in which the right hon. Lady raised them. Her speech was no more than pure scaremongering from beginning to end.
Mr Timothy Eggar: There we are. The right hon. Lady, from a sedentary position, says, "We shall see." What is that except scaremongering? The fact is that the nuclear installations inspectorate is an independent body, which is overseen by the Health and Safety Commission. The right hon. Lady seems to forget that the commission includes three representatives from the trade unions. To suggest for a moment that...
Mr Timothy Eggar: The hon. Gentleman is deducing the position from a draft letter which has never been sent. In any case, I refer him to the White Paper, and to the evidence that I gave to the Select Committee on Trade and Industry, of which he is a member. I made it absolutely clear that the Government will ensure that there are adequate resources for the NH to make certain that it can carry out its...
Mr Timothy Eggar: If additional resources are necessary to take account of that eventuality if it were to happen, they would have to be made available. The Government said clearly in the White Paper that we will not in any way imperil safety standards, and we will stick with that.
Mr Timothy Eggar: I will give way to the hon. Gentleman, but I am only at the beginning of my speech, and I have been absolutely categorical on this issue, in front of the Select Committee and on the Floor of the House, time and again.
Mr Timothy Eggar: From memory—
