UK ENERGY MINISTER PETER HAIN.

UK ENERGY MINISTER PETER HAIN last month set out the government's three-prong strategy to deal with the problem of sharply rising natural gas prices in Britain.

The strategy, he said, will involve collaborating with the European Commission to accelerate full gas market liberalization, improving the "functioning and design" of the market through greater access to information, and acting against anticompetitive behavior--especially related to the Interconnector gas pipeline that links Britain and the continent.

Earlier this year, a report for a government-industry task force said European natural gas prices were the most important factor influencing British …