HC Deb 03 December 1946 vol 431 c74W
Sir G. Fox

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power (1) the quantities of motor vehicle fuel for which coupons were issued in the last completed ration period for the several categories of basic ration, S coupon, E coupon, I coupon, differentiating between those for agricultural and industrial; and any other category specifying for each category of coupon the duration of the respective rationing period;

(2) If he will state the total quantity of motor fuel for use in motor vehicles represented by the ration coupons which were issued for the nine months from 1st January, 1946, to the end of September;

(3) What were the petrol ration periods covering the year 1946 and for what amounts of petrol were coupons issued during each of those periods, distinguishing between petrol for use in private motorcars and petrol for use in commercial vehicles,

(4) What amounts of petrol are being allocated for use in private cars and commercial vehicles respectively in the rationing period ending February, 1947.

Mr. Shinwell

As I have stated on many previous occasions, I am not prepared, for security reasons, to give statistics of petrol consumption for civilian purposes as a whole. I cannot, therefore, give the individual items from which the total figure could be ascertained by simple arithmetic. The total consumption of imported motor spirit for all purposes, covering both military and civilian uses, is published every month in the Trade and Navigation Accounts.