asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what is the monthly production figure of petrol produced in the Persian Gulf and Trinidad, and any other places in the sterling area, and how does that figure compare with our needs based on the 1938 figures; and what prevents such need being filled by supplies from that area at the present time.

Because of the much greater military needs now as compared with 1938, any comparison such as my hon. Friend has in mind would be misleading unless military figures were disclosed, which I am not prepared to do. As I have explained in reply to recent questions, the supply of petrol from British-controlled sources is insufficient to meet the present needs of the sterling area. The most recent month for which particulars of production of petrol from British-controlled sources are available was July, when the quantity produced was about 420,000 tons.