§ Mr. GINNELLasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether his attention has been called to the deposits of peat in Ireland capable of manufacture, as in Sweden and Canada, into fuel for power and domestic use nearly equal to coal at 883W one-third the cost, and into charcoal and valuable by-products, all hitherto prevented in the interest of British coal; and whether, in view of the high and growing price of coal, the Government propose to do anything to release this latest supply of cheap fuel and open up an Irish industry of great potentialities?
§ Mr. DUKEThe development of the Irish peat industry has not, so far as I am aware, been in any way prevented in the interests of British coal owners. Enterprise for the development of Irish peat deposits and the utilisation of peat on a wider scale for power purposes would be welcomed, but the experiments which have been made appear not yet to have led to the discovery of suitable processes.