§ 36. Sir John Mellorasked the Minister of Fuel and Power what further amendment of his regulations he proposes to make as a result of the discovery in Lancashire of a consignment of white petrol, which reacted to police tests in the same way as commercial spirit.
§ Mr. GaitskellNone, Sir. Neither the red dye nor the ingredient prescribed for commercial petrol under the Motor Spirit Regulations were found in the consignment of petrol referred to in the Question.
§ Sir J. MellorWhy should law-abiding persons be pounced on by the Minister's officials and their pumps be sealed merely because the right hon. Gentleman cannot get the chemical basis of his tests right and reliable?
§ Mr. GaitskellIt is not a question of the chemical basis of the tests being wrong. This is a question of the initial tests by the police and not of the analysis.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterIs it proposed to compensate the perfectly innocent garage proprietors whose business was stopped for three days?
§ Mr. GaitskellNo, Sir.
§ Sir J. MellorAre further supplies of this same petrol being distributed throughout the country?
§ Mr. GaitskellWe are going into the exact reason why this particular consignment of petrol reacted in the way it did to the police test. I cannot make a further statement at present.