§ 44. Mr. Allaunasked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation, in view of the serious effects caused by taking British Road Service lorries off the road, if he will instruct his regional transport commissioners to allocate a substantial portion of the supplementary ration reserve to British Road Services on the ground of public need; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WatkinsonSupplementary rations for goods vehicles will be issued according to the work to be done, irrespective of the ownership of the vehicles.
§ Mr. AllaunIs the Minister aware that many "fly-by-night" private haulage firms are meanwhile obtaining all the fuel they want? Will the Minister give the House an assurance that he will not ask British Road Services to take a further 10 per cent. cut?
§ Mr. WatkinsonThere is no need to give that assurance, because I did not ask British Road Services to take a 10 per cent. cut in the first place. B.R.S. did it as a contribution, as did other firms. As I have said, in this matter everyone will be treated alike and judged on the value of their work and not on the ownership of the vehicles.
§ 54. Mr. Gresham Cookeasked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he is aware that under the road fuel rationing scheme, no industrial user of transport will be able to apply to the regional transport commissioner for supplementary fuel allowances until he has exhausted half his basic ration; and whether, in view of the fact that this makes long-term planning impossible, he will arrange for this condition to be altered so that users of road transport can apply at the earliest practicable moment for whatever supplementary ration they feel they may need and get a decision thereon at the earliest possible date.
§ Mr. WatkinsonI issued a Press notice last week and informed the associations and others concerned that operators may apply for supplementary fuel rations for goods vehicles as soon as they have received their basic ration.
§ Mr. Gresham CookeMay I congratulate my right hon. Friend—[HON. MEMBERS: "Oh."]—on ironing out these difficulties, and ask him to apply his excellent mind to the further problem facing commercial operators, that the basic ration for commercial vehicles, instead of lasting for about 50 per cent. of the normal runs, seems to be lasting only 30 per cent., one-and-a-half days instead of two-and-a-half days? Will he apply his mind to that problem?
§ Mr. WatkinsonI will apply my mind to anything, particularly something which I think is the wish of the whole House, and that is that, rationing having become inevitable, we make it work as easily and fairly as possible.