§ 1. Captain Stricklandasked the Secretary for Mines whether he is aware of the great deficiency of household coal available for domestic use in the city of Coventry; that household coal is being compulsorily used for industrial purposes; and what steps he is taking to meet the danger of serious shortage in the coming winter?
§ The Secretary for Mines (Mr. David Grenfell)The general supply position in Coventry, as in other parts of the West Midlands, is admittedly unsatisfactory, and the increasing demands of high priority industry have affected domestic 3 supplies. The obvious remedy is a substantial increase of production, and I am hopeful that the agreement now reached in regard to the attendance bonus will bring about the necessary co-operation between all parties in the industry so that the other measures referred to in the Debate on 28th May may have their full effect.
§ Mr. LawsonHave the Government any settled policy for bringing back to the pits men who have left in the last 12 months? Is my hon. Friend aware that men who are expert miners are labouring in other parts of the country outside the coal industry and are actually being stopped when they desire to go back to the industry; and that at present the 36's are being called up from the mines?
§ Mr. GrenfellI think that the Minister of Labour is taking definite steps to prevent a further leakage, and is also preparing a plan to get men to come back to the mines.
§ Mr. LawsonAs men of 36 years of age are now being called up into the Services, do I take it that they are to remain in the mines or that they are to answer the call?
§ Mr. GrenfellThey are still reserved for the mining industry and are not liable to be enlisted.
§ Mr. ShinwellWhat does my hon. Friend mean by preparing a plan? Is this the time for preparing a plan? Ought we not to be executing plans?
§ Mr. GrenfellI am not responsible for the execution in this case.
§ Mr. ShinwellI am aware that my hon. Friend is not responsible, but why does he not "spill the beans" and say who is?
§ Mr. GrenfellI have endeavoured to carry out my duties in a perfectly straightforward way, and if there are difficulties, I am willing to co-operate with anybody to put them right.
§ Commander FletcherIn connection with the admitted shortage of coal in Warwickshire, has my hon. Friend had under consideration the fact that the Tam-worth Colliery may shortly be closed down, with a loss of 200,000 tons per annum, and will he take steps to prevent it?
§ Mr. GrenfellThere is a Question on the Paper about that.
§ 2 and 3. Captain Stricklandasked the Secretary for Mines (1) what was the estimated total tonnage of coal lost in the Warwickshire district in the week ended 17th May, 1941; and how many tons of this loss is estimated to have been lost owing to absenteeism;
(2) what is the tonnage reduction of household coal produced in the Warwickshire district in the past 12 months; how many tons have been exported from that coalfield to the Southern area during that period; and how many tons imported from other areas to meet the deficiency in the district?
§ Mr. GrenfellSeparate figures for household coal in the Warwickshire area are not available. However, the number employed and the output have declined as compared with the previous years. Warwickshire coal has been railed to markets in the South of England and at the same time coal from other coalfields has been sent into Warwickshire. The hon. Member will be aware that this has been sometimes necessitated by consideration of quality for different purposes. Absenteeism has been responsible for some loss of output, but the avoidable loss in tonnage has not been ascertained. As I have referred to the steps for securing, increased production in reply to another Question by the hon. Member, I hope he will be content to let the Pit and District Committees deal jointly with the question of absenteeism and the means of securing more regular work at the collieries.
§ Captain StricklandAre we to understand that the Minister does not call for any returns from the districts showing the production and distribution from week to week?
§ Mr. GrenfellYes, Sir. We have figures in detail.
§ Captain StricklandWould I be incorrect in saying that there has been a loss in the particular week mentioned of 23,800 tons, of which 10,840, nearly one-half, is due to absenteeism; and further —
§ Mr. Speakerrose—
§ Captain StricklandMay I ask for your guidance, Sir? Two Questions are involved, and I want to put all my points in one supplementary.
§ Mr. SpeakerWe do not want to add to the Questions.
§ Captain StricklandMay I put the Questions I have already asked?
§ Mr. GrenfellI am unable, by reasons of public interest, to give these figures or to examine them. I have given a general statement to my hon. and gallant Friend.
§ Major-General Sir Alfred KnoxDoes the Minister realise that Warwickshire coal is a primary source of supply for Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire, that the position in those counties last winter was catastrophic, and that it is getting worse now?
§ Mr. GrenfellPerhaps I should have said in reply to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Coventry (Captain Strickland) that I do not want to appear to be discourteous or unwilling to give information, but we do know the figures of production for every pit in the country every week and of the number of men employed. That information is available. In reply to the hon. and gallant Member for Wycombe (Sir A. Knox), we are short of men and short of production, and that is a thing which we wish to remedy as soon as possible.
§ Captain StricklandIs there not a huge reduction of production in the Warwickshire pits of something like 1,000,000 tons per annum, and is not the Ministry at the same time asking the pits to send away an extra 30,000 tons from Warwickshire, although we are faced with the shortage of workers and the people of Coventry cannot get household coal?
§ Mr. GrenfellIt is clear to everybody who knows the industry that you cannot establish a lien on the available production of any one district. Coal has to be sent away according to its suitability for certain production purposes. Gas coal, for example, cannot be substituted by other coal. Every quality of coal has its own purpose, and coal must be taken away to districts for use as required.
§ Mr. BuchananIs the Minister aware that this shortage is prevalent throughout the country, and will he, to safeguard his own interests, seek an early opportunity of making a statement on the situation, showing how far he intends to make plans to obviate what is obviously a serious position?
§ Mr. GrenfellI have always been frank with the House, and I made a statement recently. It is primarily a question of an increase in man-power.
§ Sir A. KnoxDoes the hon. Gentleman realise that preparing plans is not sufficient?
§ Mr. GrenfellThe hon. and gallant Member must know that during last winter there was a limit of production, but the limit was not in the pits but in the transport system. Now that limit has been raised it is necessary to bring more men back to the pits to produce up to the limits of our increased transport capacity.
§ Commander FletcherIs it not the case that the week chosen, that in Question No. 2, is an unfortunate one, from which no accurate general conclusions can be drawn? Should not a distinction be drawn between voluntary and involuntary absenteeism, and is it not a fact that otherwise no accurate conclusions can be drawn?
§ Mr. GrenfellI have never subscribed to the allegation that all the loss of work at the pits is avoidable. A reasonable proportion of absenteeism is to be expected. We do not get exact figures, and they are not closely analysed, and I could not from my place in this House say to the exact decimal what percentage of absenteeism is avoidable. We hope that absenteeism will be reduced by the joint action of the employers and men on the pit and district committees which have now been set up.