§ 72. Mr. Palmerasked the Minister of Power if, in view of the strain on the balance of payments now likely to be brought about by the premature running clown of the indigenous coal production of the United Kingdom, he will revise fundamentally the assumptions of the White Paper on Fuel Policy, Command Paper No. 2798, published in October, 1965.
§ 74. Mr. Geoffrey Lloydasked the Minister of Power, in view of the radical change in the availability of indigenous fuels since the issue of Command Paper No. 2798, entitled Fuel Policy, when he proposes to publish a revision of this White Paper.
§ Mr. MarshI have set in hand a review to take account of the changing58W situation and in particular the North Sea gas discoveries. I cannot yet say when I shall be able to make a statement or publish a revision.
§ Mr. William Hamiltonasked the Minister of Power (1) if he will make a statement on the discovery of large quantities of gas at block 49/26 in the North Sea, and especially on the effect of this and other similar discoveries on Her Majesty's Government's fuel policy;
(2) what plans he has to modify his fuel policy as outlined in the National Plan.
§ Mr. MarshI cannot add to the information about the discovery of gas in Block 49/26 which I gave to my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Aberdeen, North (Mr. Hector Hughes) on 10th May. As regards fuel policy I would refer to the Answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Bristol, Central (Mr. Palmer) and the right hon. Member for Sutton Coldfield (Mr. Geoffrey Lloyd) today.