Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Energy – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 4 July 1983.
The hon. Gentleman is incorrect in suggesting that somehow the standing charge is a wholly false charge. Many of the costs incurred by the board have to be passed on, including capital charges, interest charges, and the cost of the connection itself, as well as the costs of metering and billing. Those charges have to be correctly assessed and costed. The Deloittes inquiry looked into those matters, and I suggest that the hon. Gentleman examines the report, which is in the Library.