§ 31. Mr. Corfieldasked the Minister of Power if he will give a general direction, in the public interest, to the National Coal Board that they should not, having advertised a certain price for coal up to a 45W certain date, thereafter charge a higher price before that date.
§ Dr. BrayThe National Coal Board has advised me that it is unable to identify any such advertisement. If the hon. Member will let me have details I will look into the matter.
§ Mr. Barnettasked the Minister of Power if he will make an Order preventing increases in the price of household coal, an example of which has been given by the hon. Member for Heywood and Royton, which example indicated that in the hon. Member's constituency the price of coal had increase by one shilling per hundredweight from October to November and twopence per hundredweight from September to October, for the same grade of coal.
§ Dr. BrayNo. The one shilling increase derives from the ending of the National Coal Board's summer price concession. As I told my hon. Friend the Member for West Ham, North on 8th November, this is not a breach of the prices standstill. On the basis of the information given by my hon. Friend in his example, the further twopence reflects increases in merchants' costs which are known to have taken place.