§ 22. Mr. Reader Harrisasked the Minister of Fuel and Power if he will now consider making it unnecessary for a person to obtain a licence from the Fuel Office in order to obtain coke, in view of the fact that when such a licence is now granted unlimited supplies can be obtained.
§ The Minister of Fuel and Power (Mr. Philip Noel-Baker)Consumers may already order as much coke as they desire from their registered coal merchants, or they may be registered separately with a coke producer for direct supplies. In neither case is any licence required. Where a consumer cannot obtain supplies from his registered merchant or from the coke producer with whom he is registered, he must obtain a licence from the local fuel overseer to enable him to purchase supplies from another merchant. Such cases are rare; but, nevertheless, I propose to amend the Order, as the hon. Member desires, to enable a domestic consumer to buy coke from any merchant in the district in which he lives.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydMay I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether one consequence of this changed Order will be that people in East Bedfordshire, who have had no coal for the last 10 days, will now get some?
§ Mr. Noel-BakerThis Question is about coke.