Stocks

HC Deb 06 February 1961 vol 634 cc23-7

37. Mr. Dodds

asked the Minister of Power if he will make a statement on the present stock position with regard to household coal and smokeless fuels and the prospects for the next three months.

38. Mr. P. Browne

asked the Minister of Power if he considers the present stocks of house coal to be satisfactory; and if he will make a statement.

36. Mr. Langford-Holt

asked the Minister of Power whether his attention has been drawn to the shortage of domestic coal which has now developed and the difficulties which will occur if the weather deteriorates; and what action he proposes to take now to avoid these difficulties.

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Power (Mr. John George)

There is no general shortage of house coal. On 21st January, merchants' stocks of house coal were only a little lower than last year—1.06 million tons against 1.18 million tons. Demand by householders has been very high but the National Coal Board has increased its output of large coal and, with the close co-operation of the railways, has been able to dispatch 12½ per cent. more house coal in the first twelve weeks of winter than a year ago. These efforts will be continued. Supplies of solid smokeless fuels are adequate to meet requirements, although my right hon. Friend cannot guarantee that a particular fuel will always be available in a particular locality.

Mr. Dodds

The Parliamentary Secretary mentioned the co-operation of the railways. Is he satisfied, whatever may be the conditions now, that the railways will be able to co-operate sufficiently, or is there some method whereby road transport could be used more than it is?

Mr. George

Co-operation between the National Coal Board and the British Transport Commission is of a very high standard. Meetings are held weekly at which the position is reviewed. In the late autumn arrangements were made for handling coal by road transport and substantial quantities are being moved by road by the Commission.

Mr. P. Browne

My hon. Friend says that there is no shortage of house coal this year. Is he aware that, compared with the same time last year, there was a shortage then and there is one now in parts of the country? Does he remember that on 21st November my right hon. Friend told me that the Coal Board was making plans to increase the percentage of large coal which was mined, compared with small coal, and can he say whether these plans have borne fruit?

Mr. George

I did not say that there was no shortage of house coal. I said that there was no general shortage. The Coal Board conducted a campaign in autumn and winter to try to raise the percentage of round coal in the output. At this time last year the percentage was 22.7 and it is now 24 per cent. I think that the Coal Board should be congratulated on this success.

Mr. John Hall

My hon. Friend says that there is no general shortage. Would he define what he means by "general", because the shortage seems widespread? In my constituency there is a considerable shortage of house coal.

Mr. George

A general shortage is a shortage which is very widespread. This one is not.

40. Mr. J. Hill

asked the Minister of Power how much coal is being imported into Scotland from England; and what will be the effect upon the relative stock positions of the two countries.

Mr. George

About 40,000 tons a week. This will not have a significant effect on the relative stock positions.

Mr. J. Hill

I thank the Parliamentary Secretary for that Answer. Will he consult with the Coal Board before there are any more closures in Scotland, so that the same position will not arise again? In the past we have heard of taking coals to Newcastle, but is he aware that this is the first time that coal from Newcastle has gone to Scotland?

Mr. George

The increase in imports is due to a shortage of Scottish supplies in relation to local demand. That is a matter for the Coal Board, which is giving it consideration.

Mr. Emrys Hughes

Can the Minister tell the House what parts of Scotland import coal from England

Mr. George

The south of Scotland regularly imports coal from England. In the last three weeks the South of Scotland Electricity Board has been anxious about stocks and found that the Scottish Divisional Coal Board could not lift stocks quickly enough to speed the supply, and so the Board bought in from England. It is not expected that the importation will continue for very long.

41. Sir R. Glyn

asked the Minister of Power what action he is taking to ensure adequate stocks of gravity-feed smokeless fuels.

Mr. George

The National Coal Board has told my right hon. Friend that it has taken steps in the last few weeks to improve supplies of small anthracite to the domestic market. For gravity-feed coke boilers, supplies are adequate.

Sir R. Glyn

I thank my hon. Friend for that Answer. Will he agree that the gravity-feed boilers will burn no other fuel than anthracite grains and that, for that reason, they are registered with the Coal Board? Is he aware that, in spite of that fact, there has been a marked shortage of anthracite grains, including a shortage in parts of my constituency where consumers are almost completely without them, and will he see what can be done?

Mr. George

Something has been done in recent weeks by adjusting the coal operational arrangements to the long-term plans of the Coal Board for supplying anthracite, including supplies for the areas mentioned by my hon. Friend. These plans depend on the output of the new collieries at Cynheidre and Abernant. These collieries began production at the end of last year, and in the next year should produce between them 500.000 extra tons of anthracite.

44. Mr. V. Yates

asked the Minister of Power, in view of the shortage of coal in the Birmingham area, what general direction he has given to the National Coal Board to ensure an equitable distribution of stocks throughout Great Britain.

43. Mr. Langford-Holt

asked the Minister of Power if he is aware that there are five coal merchants in Shrewsbury with between 2 tons and 30 tons of coal in stock, two merchants with 10 tons of coal in stock and seven merchants with no coal stocks; and if he will give a general direction to the National Coal Board that they should ensure that coal stocks should be distributed equally throughout the country.

Mr. George

Local supply is a matter for the Board and the trade. The Board keeps its distribution arrangements as flexible as possible to meet local shortages when they occur.

Mr. Yates

How does the Minister explain a case, of which I have details, in which a retailer complained on 4th February that, from November to February, his contract with the Coal Board has fallen by 221 tons? Is he aware that the shortage is widespread and that thousands of people have been unable to stock up for the winter, which is a serious situation for a city of a million people?

Mr. George

The hon. Genleman quotes one single case, and, of course, my right hon. Friend oannot deal with single cases. These are matters for the Coal Board which does its best to supply orders to the merchants. The position in the house coal market is that the merchants' sales of house coal in the first twelve weeks of winter have been 930,000 tons—13 per cent.—up on the previous winter.

Mr. J. Harvey

In view of all! the references to coal shortages which have been made today, is my hon. Friend still happy that the present policy in respect of open-cast mining is right? Has he in mind that that facet of the industry was one of the few profitable lines run by the National Coal Board?

Mr. George

I cannot accept that there is a general shortage of house coal. There is no general shortage of house coal, as is shown by the stocks. The stocks are 1.06 million tons this year as against 1.18 million tons last year, and the National Coal Board has 460,000 tons of house coal in stock.

Mr. Nabarro

Has not my hon. Friend perceived the number of complaints which have come from Midland towns, from Birmingham, Coventry, Wycombe, Shrewsbury and so on? Is he not aware that severe flooding has taken place in the Midlands, notably in the Valley of the Severn, and that the need to dry out houses is one of tihe principal reasons for the exceptional demand for house coal? Is it not nonsense to say that there is not a general shortage or a widespread shortage when manifestly there is? Why whitewash the Coal Board?

Mr. George

No amount of reiteration will turn a local shortage into a general shortage. There is no general shortage. The position at the mines is that in the first twelve weeks of winter the Board has increased despatches by over 800,000 tons, 12½ per cent. more than last winter. The extra supplies have come from the successful drive I have already mentioned for more large coal, from a 50 per cent. rise in despatches of house coal doubles and from screening of unscreened stocks. The amount of the Board's stocks on 21st January was 460,000 tons.

Mr. Snow

As the hon. Gentleman refers to coal in stock, can we have some clarification? Since distribution has not been nationalised, where does the fault lie for the failure to distribute stocks?

Mr. George

I do not accept that there is any failure in distribution. The National Coal Board does its best, but at this time of the year, with such things as influenza epidemics, there are local difficulties.

Mr. V. Yates

On a point of order. I beg to give notice that, owing to the very unsatisfactory nature of the Answer, I shall raise the matter on the Adjournment.