§ 37. Commander Bowerasked the Secretary for Mines whether he is aware that coal dealers have recently received notices concerning the procedure for deferment of calling-up, Form N.S./200, from three separate authorities, namely, the Director-General of the House Coal Distribution (Emergency) Scheme, the Divisional Coal Officer, and the Local Fuel Overseer; and whether he will issue instructions to eliminate this overlapping of functions?
§ Mr. GrenfellI think that the hon. and gallant Member is under some misapprehension. The new deferment procedure to which he refers is operated through the local fuel overseers, and full instructions about it were issued in June, by these officers only. The divisional coal officers have made no general issue of instructions, although, as they are consulted by the Ministry of Labour under the new procedure, and are responsible for the actual issue of the forms to merchants, there may have been communications with individual merchants. The House Coal Distribution (Emergency) Scheme, which is the merchant's own organisation, working in co-operation with my Department, merely included a reminder about this deferment procedure in a general circular 449 to merchants which dealt with a large number of other matters relating to coal distribution.
§ Commander BowerIs it really necessary that coal dealers, especially small men, who have not large clerical staffs, should receive notices about the same matter from three or four different sources? Apart from anything else, does it not involve an appalling waste of time and paper?
§ Mr. GrenfellI dispute the suggestion that dealers generally receive notices from three or four different sources. There may have been individual cases. But the hon. and gallant Member would be much more disturbed if they did not get notices at all and if their workmen were wrongly taken into the Armed Forces.