§ 8. Mr. Shinwellasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate has been made by his Department of the total financial loss sustained by the nation as a result of the fuel crisis.
§ Mr. BarberThe information needed to make a reliable estimate of this kind is not available.
§ Mr. ShinwellCan the Financial Secretary say whether the Government have any plans in contemplation to mitigate the severity, not of the weather, over which the Government obviously have no control, but of the effect of the weather?
§ Mr. BarberI would not wish to minimise the difficulties which have arisen, but we have no reason to suppose that any great loss in total national output has arisen as a result of the interruption of fuel supplies. It is perfectly true that a considerable loss of production in the construction industry has arisen as a result of the weather, but I can assure the right hon. Gentleman that all those concerned are very conscious of the need to do whatever is reasonably possible, bearing in mind the priorities, to avoid this sort of trouble.
§ Mr. ShinwellDoes the Financial Secretary really mean that in relation to electricity generation and gas production 1098 the Government have no plans in contemplation with a view to preventing what happened recently?
§ Mr. BarberI could take up a good deal of the time of the House, which is impossible at Question Time, in explaining the matter to the right hon. Gentleman. I remind him that the Central Electricity Generating Board estimates that it would have cost £270 million to provide enough generating capacity to meet this winter's maximum estimated demand. A great deal is being done. For example, as an interim measure it plans to install 700 megawatts of gas turbines in 1964 and 1965, and a great deal of other work on the transmission system and distribution side is going on.