§ Colonel Crosthwaite-Eyreasked the Minister of Fuel and Power on what basis consumers are selected by his Department as suitable for transfer from coal to oil burning, and what special financial concessions are allowed to those firms accepting his Department's proposal.
§ Mr. ShinwellI am arranging for the initial releases of oil to be made to consumers who possess stand-by oil-fired equipment which can be brought into immediate permanent use or who have coal-fired plants which can be converted to oil firing during the next few months, and thereby save coal this winter. In other cases, the order of priority of the release of oil and equipment for oil firing will be governed by the extent to which the requirement not only saves coal, but is calculated to obtain the best results from the use of oil fuel. With regard to the second part of the Question, no special financial concessions are offered to such new consumers. In common, however, with other users of fuel oils they will benefit by the subsidy announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 1st August, which was intended to encourage the use of fuel burning plant to the maximum extent and thus a saving of coal.