§ 14. Mr. Hastingsasked the Paymaster-General what percentage of shale is permissible under his regulations in coke sold for domestic consumption.
§ Sir I. HorobinThere are no such regulations.
§ Mr. HastingsDoes not the hon. Gentleman feel that the public would be much relieved if they felt assured that they were getting value for their money when buying coke produced by the nationalised gas industry?
§ Sir I. HorobinThat is very true, but, of course, for practical purposes all the shale that is in coal supplied to the gas industry has to remain in the coke, and the proportion then is actually higher because one produces less than one ton of coke from a ton of coal. Therefore, the main responsibility is with the National Coal Board, which is doing a great deal. It is spending £20–£30 million a year on trying to improve the quality of its coal. However, I think we are all agreed that we should like the progress to be even faster.