§ Mr. Jannerasked the Minister of Fuel and Power what representations he has received from coal merchants that their present supplies are too limited to allow them to build up stocks for the winter; and what action he is proposing to take to remedy the position.
§ Mr. P. Noel-BakerThe Merchants' Consultative Committee, when I met them recently, called attention,inter alia, to the low level of stocks of house coal for the time of year. The low level of stocks is due not so much to shortage of supplies, since deliveries to the house coal market for the first seven weeks of the coal summer are 250,000 tons more than last year, as to a very high demand during the inclement weather in the early weeks of the summer, which. has resulted in deliveries to domestic consumers of over 300,000 tons more than last year, combined with a very low level of stocks at the beginning of the coal summer.
213WI am in touch with the National Coal Board about measures to maintain and, if possible, improve supplies coming into the house coal market and with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport regarding congestion on the railways which has tended to hold up supplies. I can assure my hon. Friend that I have the needs of the house coal market constantly in mind.