I am grateful for the opportunity to explain more fully the reason for including electricity in this Clause. It was not included in the 1967 Act, but it is believed to be right to include it now because the supply of electricity in the event of shortage of coal or oil might be included to eke out those supplies. The powers might also be used if there were a shortage of generating capacity, which could arise through unwillingness to work out of work hours and a number of other circumstances, including plant failure and lack of plant availability.

In the recent fuel supply difficulties, without this Bill—indeed, this was the situation before the Bill existed—it would be necessary to operate electricity restrictions by use of the emergency regulations. We had prohibited the use of electricity for space heating in non-domestic premises, and for advertising, display lighting and floodlighting. This will be re-imposed if necessary, as I fear it will be, under the powers conferred by the Bill.

The hon. Member for Bristol Central (Mr. Palmer) criticised the way in which those powers were introduced and the lack of consultation. I told him when we debated this before that there had not been consultation on the precise orders which were brought in. I added that there had been consultation on broadly similar orders although alterations had been made—