HC Deb 21 December 1956 vol 562 cc235-7W
Mr. Llewellyn

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what petrol ration has been allocated to the Glamorgan County Council, the Cardiff Rural District Council, and the Cardiff City Council.

Mr. Aubrey Jones

I am writing to my hon. Friend.

Mr. Llewellyn

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he is aware that the allocation of petrol to the Glamorgan County Council for the use of its aldermen and councillors is so inadequate as to threaten the effective working of local government in the county; and whether he will increase this allocation.

Mr. F. Noel-Baker

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power if he will revise his scheme for allocating extra petrol to the Wiltshire County Council and base the allocation upon a percentage of the mileage travelled by members of the council during the past twelve months, in view of the inadequacy of the emergency reserve so far offered to the clerk of the council.

Mr. Aubrey Jones

Local authorities have been provided with an allowance of coupons for issue to council members who cannot get to council and committee meetings by public transport. My regional petroleum officers have authority to review the allowance to meet cases of special difficulty.

Mr. E. Johnson

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power in what way new coupons for supplementary petrol differ from those in use when petrol rationing was last in force; and what action he is taking to prevent old coupons being used now.

Mr. Aubrey Jones

All coupons currently in use with the exception of basic ration coupons for private cars and motor cycles are of the same design as those which were issued towards the and of the previous rationing scheme. Supplementary coupons issued for private cars and motor cycles in 1950 bore a printed validity date but those now being issued bear no date, the space being left blank; the period of validity of coupons is prescribed in the Motor Fuel (No. 3) Order. 1956. All other coupons issued by my regional petroleum officers bear, as before, the stamp of the issuing office showing the validity date.

Dr. King

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what is the average petrol supplementary allocation per month for political agents in borough constituencies, constituencies with a prospective candidate, Members of Parliament and commercial travellers, respectively.

Mr. Aubrey Jones

There is no fixed allowance for political agents, Members of Parliament or commercial travellers as such, nor is information available on the average supplementary allowances issued to individuals within those categories.

Mr. Collins

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power the number of Members of Parliament who, at the latest convenient date have not applied for a supplementary allocation of petrol for their parliamentary duties.

Mr. Aubrey Jones

One hundred and ninety-seven.

Lieut. - Colonel Bromley - Davenport

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power if he is aware that supplementary petrol allowances are being refused to people who wish to take their children to school owing to the distance they live from the nearest public transport; and if he will instruct his regional commissioners to give sympathetic consideration to such applications since, otherwise, the children will not be able to attend their schools, at any rate during the winter period.

Mr. Aubrey Jones

I recognise that the basic ration may not allow sufficient mileage to avoid serious hardship in some cases, and I am prepared to give sympathetic consideration to these after the school holidays.