§ 2.35 p.m.
§ LORD SHEPHERDMy Lords, by leave of the House I should like (to make a short statement about a reply I gave to the noble Viscount, Lord Swinton, yester-day. In reply to a supplementary question by the noble Viscount, I said that the British Electricity Authority were going forward with their new stations and hoped that after this year electricity cuts might no longer be necessary, although much would depend on the speed with which the stations were finished. I am afraid that I went rather further than I should have done, and I apologise for the error. I now understand that, although it is hoped that in succeeding years electricity cuts will occur with decreasing frequency, in view of the steeply rising demand, especially in industry, they must still be expected for several years ahead. I thought it only right, my Lords, to take the first opportunity of correcting an error of that kind.
§ VISCOUNT SWINTONMy Lords, I am obliged to the noble Lord for making that correction. From experience I know how difficult it is to reply to a large number of supplementary questions. There is always the desire to give information, and sometimes that even outruns discretion. We are all obliged to the noble Lord, and in these hard times we had better know the worst.