HC Deb 27 January 1949 vol 460 cc1098-9
40. Mr. Chetwynd

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether the Regional Petroleum Officers are instructed to grant for dual-purpose vehicles, operating under C licences, white petrol allowances on the same scale as the red petrol allowances previously received from the District Transport Officers.

30. Mr. Bowden

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power if a trader who has replaced a light van used for delivery of goods by a utility vehicle of the shooting brake type is entitled to the same allocation of petrol, providing that the work carried out is the same.

Mr. Gaitskell

All applications for petrol allowances for those vehicles which were previously allocated red petrol by the District Transport Officers and under the new definition of "private motor vehicle" are now to run on white petrol, are being scrutinised by the Regional Petroleum Officers. In some cases the allowances are continued at the old rate but in others it has been found that the scale of allowances granted by the District Transport Officers, intended as they were to apply to vehicles engaged solely in the transport of goods, are not appropriate. This applies particularly to the dual-purpose vehicles which form a large proportion of those coming under the new definition. The use to which many of these vehicles are being put brings them into one of the clearly defined categories for which allowances are given by the Regional Petroleum Officers and the allowances have accordingly to be adjusted to bring them into line with those given for other private vehicles used for similar purposes.

Mr. Turton

is the Minister aware that in many parts of the country the construction put on his orders has resulted in traders being deprived of petrol for very necessary and essential purposes?

Mr. Gaitskell

I am not aware of that.

Mr. Chetwynd

Is it not a fact that under the old system many people were getting far more than they were entitled to get?

Mr. Gaitskell

I am afraid that there must have been a number of such cases.