HC Deb 30 March 1965 vol 709 cc1385-7
29. Mr. Palmer

asked the Minister of Power if, after his Energy Advisory Committee have made their report, he will issue a White Paper setting out the Government's national fuel policy.

Mr. Frederick Lee

I shall, of course, inform the House of the outcome of the review of fuel policy which I have in hand, but I cannot now say what will be the best way of doing so. I expect the advice I shall receive from my Energy Advisory Council on these matters to be of a continuing nature, rather than to take the form of a single report.

Mr. Palmer

I thank my right hon. Friend for that reply, but will he bear in mind that the future planning of energy supplies is of the greatest interest and importance, not only to Members of the House, but to industry generally? Therefore, would not a White Paper be a convenient way of setting this out?

Mr. Lee

I thoroughly agree with the content of my hon. Friend's supplementary question, but at this stage I do not want to say that at a certain moment of time I shall issue a White Paper. The Energy Advisory Council may continue to keep me advised for some considerable time ahead.

Mr. Gower

Would the right hon. Gentleman agree that it would be most intolerable for a national fuel policy to be used as a device to protect any particular form of fuel from the natural trends which are expressing themselves in all industrial countries today?

Mr. Lee

With a Government of this type, who are determined to expand the economy, it follows that the demand for energy will increase enormously. I want to make sure that we can meet that demand when it arrives, and also that we can allocate between the various industries that share which they can meet most economically and to the advantage of the balance of payments.

Mr. Ridley

The right hon. Gentleman and his party have been saying for thirteen years that they want a national fuel policy. Is he now running away from that? Is he not going to produce such policy?

Mr. Lee

I wish the hon. Gentleman would not be so pessimistic. I am sure that we are working on the right lines, and that we will produce an acceptable national fuel policy which will serve the best interests of the country, and that we will do it in a very short time.