asked the Minister of Fuel and Power on what figures his Ministry informed the Press, on 5th October, that coal output was higher than at any time since June and that manpower was still falling; and how the output figures compare with those at the same season in the last two years.

My Department has figures of the current rate of output and of man-power. Output in July, August and September this year was below the corresponding months of last year, and the published figures show that there was a decline of 3,000,000 tons between the latter period and the third quarter of 1943