§ 5. Mr. McKayasked the Minister of Power if he will give a general direction to the National Coal Board to employ unemployed miners for the purpose of distributing coal from the pits directly to household consumers.
§ Mr. WoodNo, Sir. Other things being equal, the Board already gives preference to applicants formerly employed in the coal industry when it fills vacancies in its distributing organisation. This organisation exists in certain areas only.
§ Mr. McKayThe point of the Question, of course, is that an exorbitant price is being charged for domestic coal at the moment. In Northumberland, I think, the average pithead price is 84s., and the amount of overcharge beyond the pit price seems to be tremendous when people have to pay nearly £8 a ton. Is there not an opening here for unemployed miners?
§ Mr. WoodThe hon. Gentleman asks me to employ unemployed miners. His supplementary question seems to me to go rather wider than the Question on the Order Paper. I think it is perhaps more relevant to his next Question.
§ The following Question stood upon the Order Paper:
§ 6. Mr. McKAYTo ask the Minister of Power if he will give a general direction to the National Coal Board to investigate the commercial factors involved in undertaking a household coal distribution service in all districts not immediately adjacent to pit areas, and to submit to him detailed estimates of the cost of such a service.
§ Mr. McKayOn a point of order, Mr. Speaker. I want to draw attention to a slight mistake in my Question. All that is required to put it right is the deletion of the word "not".
§ Mr. McKayHow is it that in most districts the price the householder has to pay is nearly £3 to £4 more than the pithead price? Surely there is some exploitation. If the job can be done directly from the pits, as used to be done in Northumberland for their own men, why cannot the Coal Board do it and give the housewives their coal a little cheaper and provide more employment for the men in the coalfields?
§ Mr. WoodI have not been informed that the prices charged by the National Coal Board selling direct are substantially different from the prices charged by other coal merchants and other distributors.
§ Mr. WoodI will investigate any proposals the National Coal Board puts to me about the desirability of extending its selling organisation, but so far I have not had any proposals. If they are made I will look at them.