HC Deb 27 February 1947 vol 433 cc319-20W
87. Sir J. Mellor

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power why, in the first week of February, he refused to allow manufacturers to convert boilers from coke to oil fuel.

Mr. Shinwell

Oil is primarily required to assist those grades of solid fuel in shortest supply. Where coke is available to meet consumers' requirements, conversion is not permitted except in special cases of difficulty or for technical reasons. No difficulty was envisaged—meeting the coke requirements of those manufacturers whose applications were turned down during the period named.