HC Deb 01 August 1946 vol 426 cc237-8W
Mr. Scott-Elliot

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he expects to be able to take any action this year about the duty on imported fuel oil.

Mr. Dalton

Yes, Sir. After consultation with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Fuel and Power, I have decided to propose in next year's Finance Bill that the import duty of 1d. per gallon should be removed from heavy fuel oil and gas oil. In the meantime, from 1st October, 1946, until the date when the import duty is removed, a subsidy of £1 per ton will be paid to consumers in this country of such oils, whether imported or home-produced. The procedure for paying this subsidy and the precise grades of oil to which it will apply will soon be announced. These arrangements will afford an appreciable relief against the higher operating costs of oil-burning plant as compared with coal-burning plant, and I hope they will result in conversions from coal to oil to the maximum extent possible.