§ Mr. Boothbyasked the Minister of Economic Warfare whether all practical steps are being taken to prevent supplies of oil from reaching the enemy; and, in particular, whether he is satisfied that no part of the recent increased shipments of oil to the port of Trieste has been forwarded to Germany?
§ Mr. Loftusasked the Minister of Economic Warfare whether his attention has been directed to the increase of oil shipments to the port of Trieste since the beginning of the war; and whether he is satisfied that no part of the oil shipped to that port is forwarded to Germany?
§ Mr. CrossAs regards steps to prevent supplies of oil from reaching the enemy, the matter is under continual review, and all practical measures are being taken to prevent the enemy from replenishing his supplies of this vital commodity from neutral sources.
As regards Trieste, it would be of assistance if my hon. Friends would furnish me with any information they may have on this subject. In the meanwhile, I would observe that, although Italian imports of petroleum have shown an increase in volume, some part of this increase is due to an increase in refining facilities, 408W which has resulted in the importation of greater quantities of crude oil without increasing the total amount of refined products made available.
In so far as the increase is not accounted for in this way and by the increase of stocks, I have no information to suggest any significant leakage to Germany since the beginning of the war.