§ 25. Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYasked the Minister of Health whether, in view of the recommendations contained in the Final Report of Lord Newton's Committee of December, 1921, dealing with domestic smoke, and seeing that experts are agreed that the amount of smoke coming from house chimneys is greater than the total industrial smoke output of Great Britain, the Government will consider further legislation to deal effectively with the problem of domestic smoke?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINThe Government have not considered it advisable to go beyond the proposals contained in the Bill introduced in another, place. The solution of the domestic smoke problem is generally considered to depend chiefly on the production of a smokeless fuel at an economical price.
§ Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYIs the right hon. Gentleman looking into the question of domestic smoke in the country generally with a view to doing something to abate it, in order that we might get the benefit of the Daylight Saving Act for one thing?
§ Mr. SPEAKERThat is the same question over again.
§ 26. Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYasked the Minister of Health whether, having regard to the dangers and wastefulness of raw coal burning methods emphasised in the Report of the Royal 1367 Commission on the Coal Industry, 1925, and to the appeal recently made to householders by the Ministry of Health to use smokeless fuel wherever possible, the Government will consider the desirability of giving legislative sanction to local rating authorities to make an appreciable rebate from the appropriate rate to owners or occupiers of all dwelling houses equipped exclusively with smokeless heating and cooking appliances?
§ Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYI do not want to put the same question again, but I want to elicit information. Are the Government looking into this very difficult question of domestic smoke with a view to trying to find some remedy?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINThe Government are doing what they can to encourage research into the question of providing smokeless fuel.
§ Sir H. BRITTAINWill the right hon. Gentleman do what he can to encourage the manufacture of this smokeless fuel on a commercial basis instead of in the laboratories?
§ Mr. WARDLAW-MILNEIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that a large amount of private money has been lost in the endeavour to find smokeless fuel? Would not some definite assistance by the Government bring this about?