PRICE OF INDUSTRIAL GAS

Early day motion 181, tabled 10 January 2001 by John Grogan (Labour). Signed by 64 members.

That this House notes the near doubling in the price of industrial gas over the last 12 months and the detrimental effect this increase is having on energy intensive sectors of manufacturing industry; expresses concern about the operation of the gas supply interconnector between Bacton in East Anglia and Zeebrugge in Belgium, which links a deregulated market in Britain with a continental market where the price of gas is still linked to the price of oil; views with alarm allegations of collusion between the gas supply companies; and calls upon the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to ask the Office of Fair Trading to carry out a full scale investigation into the wholesale gas market.

Signatures by party: Labour 48, Liberal Democrat 8, Labour/Co-operative 5, Conservative 3.