§ 12. Mr. Nabarroasked the Minister of Fuel and Power the approximate annual cost to his Department for maintaining industrial and domestic rationing and allocation arrangements for coal and associated products including all overhead expenses; how many officials are employed on this work including fuel 1377 overseers; and what economies to his Department in manpower and money may be expected from the recent announcement that domestic small coals are to be freed from rationing.
§ Mr. Geoffrey LloydThe freeing of rough small coal is not likely to reduce the cost of the organisation, which is at present about £1½ million a year. There are 146 Ministry officials employed on this work, and 2,332 full-time staff in local fuel overseers' offices.
§ Mr. NabarroCan my right hon. Friend give the House any views about the future of coal rationing arrangements, and can he say what is the estimated deficit at the present time in the industrial and domestic coal markets, that is, the difference between the total amount and the total supply of these two markets?
§ Mr. LloydI appreciate my hon. Friend's anxiety, but these are rather large questions to deal with in a supplementary. He can certainly rely on me doing my best to reduce and finally extinguish this expenditure as soon as possible.