§ Sir R. Youngasked the Minister of Fuel and Power how many requests he has received from rural district councils, including Warrington Rural District Council, that petrol should be supplied to their members to enable them to attend special meetings of their councils, and the nature of the reply sent to them.
Major Lloyd GeorgeI have received from seven rural district councils resolutions to the effect that the clerk of each rural district council should be empowered to issue petrol coupons to members to enable them to use their cars for attendance at special meetings of the council. 1893W There are obvious objections to this departure from the system agreed with the Associations of Local Authorities, under which each car-owning member of a local authority receives from the Regional Petroleum Officer his allowance of petrol coupons for all authorised purposes, including the amount needed for attendance at council meetings. This amount is assessed in the light of information from the council as to the member's attendances. I have no indication that this system fails to meet the reasonable needs of members; and I have informed the councils concerned that on the information at present before me I see no reason to set up a new system, but am prepared to investigate any cases of difficulty of which they may inform me.