HC Deb 03 June 1957 vol 571 cc903-4
63. Mr. Hunter

asked the Paymaster-General whether he is yet in a position to give an approximate date for the ending of coal rationing.

65. Mr. A. Roberts

asked the Paymaster-General if the improvement in coal output will now permit the ending of domestic coal rationing.

62. Mr. Lewis

asked the Paymaster-General whether he is now in a position to announce the date of the ending of coal rationing.

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Power (Mr. David Renton)

I am not in a position to add to the Answer my right hon. Friend the Paymaster-General gave on 6th May to my hon. Friend the Member for Ilford, South (Mr. Cooper).

Mr. Hunter

Will the Parliamentary Secretary take into consideration the great increase in coal production in this country and the large supplies held, in arriving at the approximate date to end coal rationing? Or will there be the same delay as with petrol rationing?

Mr. Renton

The hon. Gentleman is quite right in saying that there has been a large increase in over-all production. In fact, so far this year the output of large coal has gone down by about one million tons. It is impossible to say when we can end the control of house-coal distribution but, as my right hon. Friend the Paymaster-General has already pointed out, the matter is under examination at the moment.

Mr. Robens

Will not large coal production steadily go down year by year—that is expected—and therefore there can be no question of ending coal-rationing schemes unless the Government are prepared to go on importing large quantities of large coal from the United States and elsewhere? Will the Parliamentary Secretary consult his right hon. Friend with a view to making small coal available to householders by the provision of adequate appliances that will burn that type of coal?

Mr. Renton

The right hon. Gentleman is, in general, quite right in what he says. We have enjoined upon the National Coal Board the necessity for making consumers aware of the possibilities of consuming smaller sizes of coal in larger quantities.

Mr. Bowles

Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that some of my constituents are getting more coal than their allowance because coal dust is being blown off the piles of coal which are stacked near their houses?

Mr. Renton

I am not aware of that, which is quite another question.

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