37. Mr. Vaneasked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he will amend the instructions he has given to the Electricity Board so that houses and villages which have been waiting for several years for electricity and which have no gas, shall be given a priority equal to that given to new houses for connection to the public mains.
§ Mr. GaitskellElectricity Boards have been asked to give supplies to new houses, farms and farm cottages and to existing houses where the present means of heating or cooking are worn out, where the absence of a supply is a cause of serious hardship or where a supply is essential for health reasons. Owing to the shortage of materials and labour I regret that I cannot at the moment extend this list of priority classes.
§ Sir Waldron SmithersMay I ask the Minister if he has read and, if he has not, if he will now read and study the leading article about himself in the "Financial Times" this morning?