§ 80. Mr. Fernyhoughasked the Minister of Fuel and Power how many applications for supplementary allowances of petrol were granted and refused during January, 1948; how many were on hand at the end of the month; and what savings in petrol are now being achieved.
§ Mr. GaitskellDuring January, 1948, 368,321 applications for supplementary allowances of all kinds were granted, of which 50,558 were first applications; 10,528 were refused and 50,600 remained on hand at the end of the month. The number of appeals outstanding at the same date was 14,935. Deliveries in bulk by the Petroleum Board to garages and large consumers averaged 74,000 tons a week in January compared with 73,000 tons a week in December. Deliveries in January are normally greater than those in December and it is estimated that but for the withdrawal of the basic ration and the other economies, deliveries in January would have been about 94,000 tons a week. The net saving in January appears therefore to have been about 20,000 tons a week. This is at an annual rate of just over one million tons per annum, which at current prices would cost 47 million dollars—nearly £12 million. The total savings in petrol from 1st October, 1947, to 31st January, 1948, are estimated at nearly 250,000 tons, which would have cost £2¾ million or 11 million dollars at current prices.