§ Mr. A. Edwardsasked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he is aware that there is great wastage of fuel in many factories, and that by stricter supervision and more modern methods of operating plant considerable economies could be effected; and whether he will issue directions to local inspectors to this end?
Major Lloyd GeorgeYes, Sir. I recognise that, despite the increases in fuel efficiency in recent years, there is still scope for improvement in the use of fuel in many factories. I would refer my hon. Friend to the statement in paragraph 23 of the recent White Paper on Coal, that the Government are satisfied that substantial economies can be obtained through improved methods of fuel consumption, and that a committee of experts has, for some months, been discussing with the different industrial organisations how improvements can be made. They have at their disposal a staff of expert combustion engineers to advise factories how to reduce their fuel consumption, and this staff is being steadily strengthened.