§ 8. Mr. Skeffingtonasked the Minister of Fuel and Power what improvement there has been in the quality of domestic coal in the last six months.
§ Mr. GaitskellI would not venture to claim that there has been as yet any significant improvement. The urgent need to export good quality house coal, the increasing proportion of our output cut mechanically from thinner and dirtier seams and the shortage of cleaning plant to handle it makes it inevitable that progress in this field must be slow. Within the limits set by these fundamental difficulties, however, the National Coal Board and the merchants are doing all they can to improve the quality of deliveries to domestic consumers.