§ 16. Mr. Butcherasked the Minister of Fuel and Power how far it is anticipated that the contribution of the National Coal Board to the export drive will fall short this year of the contribution which it made last year.
§ Mr. P. Noel-BakerI would refer the hon. Member to the answer which I gave last Monday to Questions by the hon. Member for Burton (Mr. Colegate), the hon. and gallant Member for Brixton (Lieut.-Colonel Lipton) and the hon. Member for Hastings (Mr. Cooper-Key).
§ Mr. ButcherHow does the right hon. Gentleman propose to make good this short-fall? Is it to be left to private enterprise?
§ Mr. Noel-BakerThe hon. Member's Question asked about the contribution of coal to the export drive. In a very real sense, the whole of our export drive is founded on coal. This year we are exporting more coal in the form of finished manufactured goods.