§ Mr. Kinseyasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, in the present fuel situation, if he will allow haulage firms and other commercial users of diesel oil to use the red coloured agricultural diesel oil, where it is available, providing the extra customs duty is paid.
§ Mr. HigginsI have been asked to reply.
No. The system of marking and dyeing hydrocarbon oil dutied at the non-road fuel rate of duty of 1p per gallon is an essential protection for the very considerable revenue on road fuel. Present circumstances do not warrant the abandonment of this control which would be implicit in sanctioning the use of marked oil as road fuel. Current allocation and distribution arrangements take account of the interests both of users of derv and of users of heavy oil for non-road use.