§ Mr. Higgsasked the Minister of Fuel, and Power what has been the approximate reduction up to date in the consumption of gas, electricity and solid fuel relative to last year?
Major Lloyd GeorgeI regret that it is not yet possible to make any full statement on this subject. The fuel and power requirements of certain classes of consumers, particularly war industries, the Services, and transport, are considerably above last year's figures, and to meet these war requirements it is essential to secure equivalent reductions in domestic and in other types of industrial consumption, and to increase coal production. It is too early in the winter to be able to give statistics of domestic consumption of raw coal, but the first results of a sample inquiry into the consumption of gas and electricity for domestic purposes are encouraging.