§ 14. Lieut.-Colonel Liptonasked the Minister of Fuel and Power why the import of crude petroleum from the United States of America has nearly doubled in 1955 compared with 1953 and 1954.
§ Mr. Geoffrey LloydMy information is that these imports have not increased. Owing to changes introduced at the beginning of this year in the classification of "crude and partly refined oils," the figures of crude petroleum imports appearing in the Trade and Navigation Accounts for the first five months of 1955 are not comparable with corresponding figures for previous years.
§ Lieut.-Colonel LiptonThis gets more and more mysterious. Will the Minister be good enough to provide comparable figures so we can find out to what extent he is wasting £2 a ton on buying American crude oil which he can get for £2 a ton less from the Middle East? Is he wedded to the idea of losing £2 a ton on coal, oil, petroleum and everything else?
§ Mr. LloydThe hon. and gallant Gentleman should have realised by now that he has made a mistake in his appreciation of the figures. If he wishes for enlightenment, he should apply to the appropriate Minister, who is the President of the Board of Trade.