§ Mr. Nabarroasked the Paymaster-General, having regard to the declared intention to bring house coal rationing to an end and the control that goes with it, whether he will now state the date of publication and the form of the Report of the Committee established in 1957 by the then Minister of Fuel and Power to inquire into availability of house coal supplies, retailers' price margins, prices to consumers, miners' free and concessionary coal and all associated matters; and why the compilation and publication of the report has taken so long.
§ Sir I. HorobinI assume my hon. Friend is referring to the Departmental Committee on Coal Distribution Costs appointed in March, 1956. My noble Friend expects to receive this Committee's Report in a few months' time. The Committee's terms of reference do not include the availability of house coal supplies nor miners' free and concessionary coal.
In view of the nature of its task I do not consider that the Committee's inquiries have been unduly protracted.