§ 40. Miss Burtonasked the Minister of Fuel and Power what steps he is taking to secure a more equitable distribution of coke, particularly for those householders who are dependent upon this type of fuel.
§ Mr. Geoffrey LloydI have recently approved arrangements for improving supplies of coke in areas where it is particularly scarce.
§ Miss BurtonIs the Minister aware that in Coventry today we are building more houses per thousand of the population than is any other large town in the country? Is he aware that that gives us a special problem, because most of these houses are entirely dependent on coke for fuel supplies, and that I am not asking for a larger supply but for a fairer one for those who are in that position?
§ Mr. LloydI am in a position to offer the hon. Lady more than she asks. It happens that in the West Midlands the coke position is particularly bad, and it is to that area that we are proposing to move more supplies.
§ Mr. Hector HughesDo the arrangements to which the right hon. Gentleman has referred apply to the whole of these islands, and particularly to the North of Scotland where people are finding great difficulty in getting coke?
§ Mr. LloydYes, Sir. These arrangements apply over the whole of the country. Broadly, in the past coke has been consumed in the area in which it was produced, but we think it is better to equalise the supply over the country as a whole.
§ Mr. HobsonIs not the position in the West Midlands that there is a shortage of industrial coke rather than domestic coke?
§ Mr. LloydNo, Sir; that is not entirely the case. The shortage of coke is, of course, due, broadly speaking, to the special pressure of the re-armament programme in that area.