HC Deb 14 November 1944 vol 404 cc1788-9
47 Captain Thorneycroft

asked the Prime Minister (1) what were the sources of the information contained in the Report of the Joint Resources Board on the Coal Industry which was made available on the understanding that it would not be published; and whether such sources of information have been consulted as to the desirability of publication;

(2) what representations he has received from the Mining Association and the Mineworkers' Federation as to the desirability or otherwise of publishing the Report of the Joint Resources Board on the Coal Industry and the nature of such representations;

(3) what representations have been received from Government Departments or organisations in the U.S.A. objecting to the publication of the Report of the Joint Resources Board on the Coal Industry.

Mr. Attlee

The Report of the recent United States Coal Mission was, as my right hon. and gallant Friend the Minister of Fuel and Power earlier informed the House, prepared as a confidential Report to the Combined Production and Resources Board. The information on which the Report was based was obtained from a great number of sources, official and other, at a series of formal and informal meetings last summer. In view of the intention that the Report should be confidential, no question arose of consulting these sources of information as to the desirability of publication. As my right hon. and gallant Friend stated on 17th October, it would be undesirable to set a precedent of publishing confidential joint Reports to the Combined Production and Resources Board. It will be appreciated that this is a decision taken by the Government as a matter of general policy.

As regards representations as to the desirability or otherwise of publication, my right hon. and gallant Friend received on 22nd August a personal letter from the President of the Mineworkers' Federation of Great Britain asking that the Report should be published in order to dispel certain rumours, originating in the United States. No representations, one way or another, have been received from the Mining Association, Government Departments or organisations in the United States of America concerning the publication of the Report.

Captain Thorneycroft

While thanking the right hon. Gentleman for that reply, may I ask him whether, if no objections to publications have been received and the only representations have been requests for publication—and these representations have come from all sides of the House—he does not think this matter could be reconsidered? Further, is there any foundation for the statement that in addition to some of the comments on the attitude of both miners and mine owners representations have been made in the Report about the attitude of His Majesty's Government?

Mr. Attlee

I have explained to the hon. and gallant Member that this is one of the series of Reports, and that it is undesirable to set a precedent by publishing them. I have no knowledge of the other matter to which the hon. and gallant Member has referred.

Mr. J. J. Lawson

Can my right hon. Friend say whether he knows about these rumours? Has he heard them? Can he say which are worst—the rumours or the Report?

Mr. Attlee

I have not heard anything about rumours.

Mr. James Griffiths

Could not my right hon. Friend reconsider publication of this Report, in view of the fact that the difference between output in America and this country is not due to the men but to the superior equipment over there?