§ 49. Mr. Austinasked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he is in a position to report on the progress achieved in the implementation of the Potter Hyndley Report.
§ Mr. J. HyndThe report referred to which was submitted in June of last year, is an Inter-Allied document of a confidential character, and I am not in a position to discuss its contents. The House will, however, be interested to know that considerable progress has been made in the rehabilitation of the coal industry in western Germany. Additional labour has been made available, and improved food rations, clothing and housing have been provided for miners. Production has steadily increased, until it is now about 40 percent of the 1938 figure; from June 1st, 1945, to the end of January, 1946, a total of 5.8 million tons of coal had been exported from Germany.
§ Mr. Oliver PooleIs the Chancellor aware that the recommendations of that report were opposed by almost all responsible military authorities? Can he state whether the Government are committed to implementing those recommendations or not?
§ Mr. HyndThe Government are committed to exporting the maximum amount of coal that can be made available from Germany, to the advantage of those countries that are dependent upon coal.
§ Mr. PooleThat is not the point. The point is that the recommendations of this report were opposed by all responsible military authorities on the spot, and my question was whether the Government are fulfilling the recommendations of that report or not.
§ Mr. HyndThe question whether the-recommendations of the report are being or can be fulfilled is dependent upon the physical situation, over which it is not inevitable that the Government can have control.
§ Mr. SpeakerMr. Warbey.
§ Mr. ChamberlainIn any further recommendations or considerations of this sort, will the Government bear in mind—
§ Mr. SpeakerI have called the next Question.
§ Mr. StephenOn a point of Order. Has it not been the practice of this House for many years that when the next Question has been called the Member called gives way in order that there might be a supplementary question on the previous Question?
§ Mr. SpeakerNo, I think not. I am always reminding hon. Members that they can have either lots of Questions and very few supplementaries or lots of supplementaries and very few Questions. I understand that the House prefers to have more answers to Questions.