§ 20. Mr. H. Hyndasked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he is aware of the shortage of coal supplies in Accrington;and what steps he is taking to ensure adequate supplies.
§ Mr. Geoffrey LloydI am making inquiries and will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.
§ Mr. HyndIs the Minister aware that throughout the recent cold spell there were several days when this town got no supplies at all, and that local merchants have not been able to supply their customers even with their normal allocations?
§ Mr. LloydMy information is that the difficulty in this case has been the difficulty of merchants in regard to distribution. They have the stocks. I understand that one of the largest local merchants has been working all this weekend and is now up to date with deliveries.
§ Mr. Langford-HoltIs my right hon. Friend aware that this difficulty does not apply only to Accrington? In my constituency, householders who have been trying to help him in his appeal to stock up for the winter have been unable to get stocks from their merchants all through the summer.