§ Mr. William Hamiltonasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if she will seek discussions with the National Coal Board with a view to devising an official scheme whereby each recipient of a retirement pension could be given a free allocation of coal each month from December, 1964, to March, 1965, inclusive.
§ Miss HerbisonI appreciate the reasons for my hon. Friend's concern, but as we have already announced, the National Assistance Board will be paying special attention to the needs of old people and others in receipt of national assistance who are likely to have heavy fuel and other bills to meet during the winter.