§ Mr. G. Elfed Daviesasked the Minister of Power if he will give an assurance that, in the promised re-examination of the Government's White Paper on Fuel Policy, arising from devaluation of the £ sterling both sides of industry will be consulted before final decisions are taken on the future of the coal industry.
§ Mr. MarshAs I said in reply to a Question from my hon. Friend the Member for Fife, West (Mr. William Hamilton) on 24th November, the main effects of devaluation will be to reduce slightly oil's competitive advantage over coal in the home market and to make British coal cheaper in export markets. I do not expect the White Paper conclusions about the likely future pattern of demand for the various fuels to be more than marginally affected.—[Vol. 754, c. 438.]