§ 29. Mr. Robson-Brownasked the Minister of Fuel and Power what was the total tonnage of household coal delivered to the coal merchants during the months of May and June, 1950, and May and June, 1951, respectively; and what were the deliveries of coke to the coke merchants during the same periods.
§ Mr. P. Noel-BakerIn May and June, 1950, 5,017,000 tons of house coal were delivered to the merchants; in May and June, 1951, the amount was 5,205,000 tons. The figures for coke are: 1950, 503,000 tons; 1951, 604,000 tons.
§ Mr. Robson-BrownWill the Minister give an assurance that this winter, or before, sufficient household coal will be sent to the coal merchants to protect the ordinary householder in the winter months against a crisis? I have in mind particularly those householders who have no storage places in their homes and who rely on the coal merchants to carry stocks for them.
§ Mr. Noel-BakerI shall do my very best. So far, the coal merchants have sold the domestic consumers 365,000 tons more this summer than last summer. I should warn hon. Members and the House that the proportion of large coal suitable for the house market is decreasing owing to machine mining. The fall from last year is from 33 per cent., to 32 per cent., which is the equivalent of two million tons. That is causing a difficult problem, which we are now considering.
§ Mr. SutcliffeWill the Minister bear in mind that hardly any of the householders in the North-West are able to lay in stocks because of the very large gap between the allocation from the collieries to the merchants and what is actually received by the merchants? In the case of one quite small merchant it was as much as 123 tons down in the 11 weeks to June.
§ Mr. Noel-BakerWe are having special difficulty in certain places.
§ Mr. YatesWould the Minister consider issuing credit notes to these householders who have no storage whatever, so that they may claim some preference when the winter comes?
§ Mr. Noel-BakerI will consider that, but I do not think that that is the answer. Last winter, the merchants undertook to look after people without stocking space, and did it very well.
§ Mr. Geoffrey LloydThe figure which I mentioned earlier was, I think, the extra stocking target rather than the actual increased amount of supplies. Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that supplies coming to merchants do not seem to be adequate for delivery to consumers, in the summer and to reach their stocking targets, unless they can get considerable further supplies.
§ Mr. Noel-BakerThe supplies coming forward are more than last year, and I hope that they will be much more in September and October, which is the peak stocking time, and when Saturday working will be resumed.
§ Mr. D. MarshallThis Question deals with part of the summer months. Will the right hon. Gentleman see that more coal goes to South-East Cornwall this week.
§ Mr. Noel-BakerAs I have said, there are difficulties about the movement of coal which are being overcome.
§ Mr. MarshallThey are not being overcome.