§ Mr. MEAGHERasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if his attention has been called to the action of the Petrol Supply Committee in not granting to the proprietors of the Castlecomer Mining Company, Kilkenny, a sufficient supply of petrol for their motor lorries employed in the distribution of coal in the district; if he is aware that the company have had to take one of their lorries off the road owing to the want of petrol, and that they have not sufficient to keep the other working till the end of the month; and if, taking into consideration the necessity of securing proper distribution of cheap coal for the poor in Ireland, he will take action to secure a sufficient supply of petrol for this Irish company to enable the company to distribute its production of coal, and enable it to carry out its contracts with the Board of Works and munition works in Ireland?
Mr. ROBERTSMy right hon. Friend has asked me to answer this question. The quantity of petrol asked for by the Castlecomer Mining Company, Kilkenny, was 400 gallons per month. The allowance made by the Petrol Control Committee has recently been increased from 240 to 264 gallons per month, and is in accordance with the normal scales of restriction. If I am furnished with particulars of the contracts with munition works and the Board of Works to which reference is made, I will ask the Petrol Committee to consider whether any further allowance could be made.