§ 52. Mr. Nealasked the Paymaster General if he will give a general direction to the gas boards to limit the amount of gas accepted from oil refineries.
§ Sir I. HorobinNo, Sir.
§ Mr. NealHaving already mutilated consumption by its economic policy, are the Government conscious of the severe injury which this new process will inflict on the coal industry?
§ Sir I. HorobinNo, Sir. I think that is an extremely short-sighted estimate of the situation. The gas industry is one of the coal industry's best customers. If the gas industry cannot sell cheap gas, it will not sell any gas, and then it will not buy any coal.
§ Mr. NealAs the two refineries in the South of England from which the gas industry will take tail gas will displace 200,000 tons of deep-mined coal, where will the Government find customers for that coal?
§ Sir I. HorobinAs I have said, the gas industry must get the cheapest supplies it can. It cannot be in the country's interest that tail gas should go to waste. Ii is useful, valuable and cheap fuel; it should be burned, and the gas industry are the best people to burn it.
§ Mr. BlytonIn view of the answer given by the hon. Gentleman to Question No. 41, which was a declaration of war by the Government on the coal industry, can the Parliamentary Secretary tell us how far the Government are going to run down this industry?
§ Sir I. HorobinI am afraid the hon. Gentleman must put down his supplementary question. I could not grasp it.