§ 22. Mr. Shepherdasked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he has examined the cases of persistent underloading of coal wagons to the extent of 13 per cent., details of which have been sent to him by the hon. Member for Bucklow; and what action he proposes to take to avoid this waste of wagon capacity.
§ Mr. GaitskellDetailed investigation of a complaint of this kind is a matter for the National Coal Board. I have already written to the hon. Member pointing out that, as his informant asked that the name of the firm concerned in this case should not be divulged, the National Coal Board have not been able to make any investigation.
§ Mr. ShepherdIs it not a fact that both the National Coal Board and the Ministry of Transport have admitted that then; is a constant underloading of these wa3ons, and should not this waste be eliminated, especially as they are carrying hundreds of thousands of tons of dirt with the coal each week?
§ Mr. GaitskellI do not agree that there is a mass of evidence proving the under-loading of wagons. No such evidence has been produced to us.