§ 5. Mr. C. EDWARDSasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he can make any statement as to the probability of the French embargo on British coal being removed as a result of the negotiations carried on by His Majesty's Government?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERI would refer the hon. Member to the answer 1067 given to the hon. Member for Leith (Mr. E. Brown) on 27th June, a copy of which I am sending him.
§ Mr. PALINGIs it a fact that the French authorities reported that they would not remove this embargo until the stocks of about 3,000,000 tons of coal which had accumulated had been got rid of?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERNo, I do not think they said that. They have said that what they are looking to is to limit for the time being their total imports by about 250,000 tons. In the answer to which I have referred, I gave the House the number of licences which have already been granted.
§ Mr. PALINGDo not they say that this embargo is put on mainly because they have such huge stacks in France?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERYes, that is so.
§ 41. Mr. C. EDWARDSasked the Minister of Labour the number of miners in South Wales who have received notice to quit their employment since the French licensing scheme was brought into operation?
§ The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY to the MINISTRY of LABOUR (Mr. Betterton)I am afraid I have no information on this point.
§ Mr. EDWARDSDo not the Department receive at least monthly reports as to the number of men employed?
§ Mr. BETTERTONYes, that is so, and in a week or ten days I shall have a report of the number of unemployed miners in South Wales, bringing it up to the end of June. The hon. Member can compare it with the number at the end of May and that will give him exactly the information he is asking for.
§ Mr. EDWARDSWill those figures be sent to me or will it be necessary to put down another question?
§ Mr. BETTERTONI will send them, or, if the hon. Member likes to put a question down, I will give them in the form of an answer.
§ Mr. BATEYWhen the figures are being given for South Wales, could not we have them for the whole of the country?
§ Mr. BETTERTONIf the hon. Member likes to put down a question, I will consider that.
§ Mr. BATEYWould it be possible for the Minister to tell us not only the number of miners who are unemployed receiving relief but those who have been cut off from unemployment benefit?
§ Mr. BETTERTONThat, of course, is an entirely different question, but, if the hon. Member quts a question down, I will give him what information I have.