asked the Minister of National Insurance what factors are taken into account in determining payments to applicants for National Assistance.

Full details are given in the National Assistance (Determination of Need) Regulations approved by this House. The main factors are the applicant's dependants, the rent he is paying and the extent and nature of his resources.

Is the Minister able to confirm her statement of 21st November that the means of the applicants play no part in determining whether they do or do not receive assistance, or the amount of the assistance?

I think that any comment I have made on this subject has been on the means of the family, which play no part at all.

asked the Minister of National Insurance if in view of the increasing cost of living to old age pensioners, she will consider stopping deductions from their pension when they continue to work, and their total earnings exceed one pound per week.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Newport (Mr. Peter Freeman) on Thursday last.

Having read that reply this morning, may I ask the right hon. Lady if she intends to take any action, as she foreshadowed might be possible in that reply, in view of the great urgency of this matter?

I have nothing to add to that reply.

Has my right hon. Friend considered a proposal I put to her predecessor, that people should be allowed to earn up to half time in the undermanned industries? It was then being considered.

Yes, Sir. I have already told my hon. and learned Friend that we have considered such proposals, but he must recognise that there are repercussions in these cases, which must be taken into account, and that we have no intention of allowing pensions to become subsidies for wages.

asked the Minister of National Insurance how many old age pensions are now being paid in Accrington, Rishton, Oswaldtwistle, Clayton-le-Moors and Church; and what were the corresponding numbers in February, 1945.

Statistics of these payments are not kept on a basis which would enable them to be broken down by localities to give the information desired.

asked the Minister of National Insurance if she will assess the casual earnings of old age pensioners on a monthly instead of weekly basis.

No, Sir. I see no reason to modify the decision, reached after careful consideration in 1946, that the fairest, and indeed the only practicable, way of arriving at any necessary deduction on account of earnings is on a weekly basis.

Is it not rather hard on a pensioner who wants to supplement his pension by an odd job on one day of the week? Would it not be fairer if these earnings were accounted on a monthly instead of a weekly basis?

No, Sir. The hon. Gentleman does not seem to have given this matter very full consideration. Has he considered the position of the pensioner who, at the end of the month, has a deduction in his pension made on account of earnings received at the beginning of the month—earnings which have already been spent?

asked the Minister of National Insurance if she will arrange to make available in the near future statistics indicating the number of men between 65 and 70 years of age who have ceased to work full time, but who would be willing to work full time if they were entitled to draw their full pension, unconditionally, as they can at the age of 70.

This information is not available and I do not see how it could be obtained.

Will not the Minister agree that she must be able to obtain a fairly accurate estimate of this number, which is increasing rapidly?

Surely the hon. Gentleman must realise that the only way I could obtain this information would be by putting a hypothetical question to every man of 65 years of age.

asked the Minister of National Insurance if she will consider in the present national emergency removing the present conditions with regard to the receipt of old age pensions, which discourages men between 65 and 70 years of age from working full time.

asked the Minister of National Insurance whether she will review the present insurance scheme in order to make it possible for the services of people over 65 years of age to be available for the community without injuring the rights of the people concerned to draw their full pension.

I would refer the hon. Members to the reply given to the hon. Member for Heywood and Royton (Mr. Sutcliffe) last Thursday by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Labour and National Service.

Can the Minister give us an assurance that she is working in close conjunction with the Minister of Labour in considering this urgent matter?

Yes, Sir, I shall probably have conversations with him, but I would draw the hon. Member's attention to the fact that the present structure of the scheme is so designed as to meet exactly the hon. Member's wishes.

In view of the fact that it is foolish to rob ourselves of the experienced ability of many of these elderly people, would my right hon. Friend give urgent consideration to the request in my question?

I hope my hon. Friend heard the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Heywood and Royton (Mr. Sutcliffe), which also applies to my hon. Friend's Question.

asked the Minister of National Insurance what the cost would be to the Exchequer of raising from £1 per week to £2 per week the earnings of old age pensioners before deduction is made from their pensions; and what the cost would be of a corresponding rise in the permitted hours of work per week.

I regret that this information is not available. There is no means of knowing how many people of pensionable age now in regular work would retire and claim their pensions if the changes suggested by the hon. Member were made.

Would the right hon. Lady bear in mind, in offsetting this amount, whatever it may be, the benefits to the nation and the increased productivity which might follow from the underlying idea, and the benefits to active old age pensioners who are anxious to work if they are not discouraged?

asked the Minister of National Insurance why it is not possible for her Department to give an estimate of the cost which would be involved by eliminating the five-year qualification relating to compensation to pneumoconiosis sufferers.

I have no means of knowing the number of such claims to workmen's compensation which failed on the five-year limit, or of estimating the number which would arise if the limit were removed.

Would the right hon. Lady consider asking the National Union of Mineworkers, because I am quite certain that their branch secretaries would be only too happy to provide her with the figures?

In any question which relates to workers' conditions, I can assure the hon. Gentleman that we do consult representatives of the workers.

asked the Minister of National Insurance if, in view of the fact that unemployment benefit is being withheld from persons dismissed from their employment for non-union membership, she will, in the interests of liberty, take steps to have this principle reversed.

I cannot, at present, add to the reply given to the Question by the hon. Member on this subject on 12th December last.

Is the right hon. Lady aware that on that occasion she said that the matter was sub judice? The matter is no longer sub judice; therefore, does she not think the people who are not members of trades unions are entitled to the same protection as was given to the conscientious objector during the war?

Since that time, this matter has become the subject of appeal to the National Insurance Commissioner. It is, therefore, still sub judice and I am unable to make any comments at the moment.

asked the Minister of National Insurance how many mothers were refused maternity benefit and attendance allowance in 1950 owing to their claims not being made within six months of the date of confinement; if she is aware of the feeling of injustice created by such refusals; and whether any modification of this time limit is to be introduced.

This information is not available, but the time limits, along with the other conditions for maternity benefit, are at present under review by the National Insurance Advisory Committee.

asked the Minister of National Insurance whether in order to safeguard employers of part-time labour from having to pay large arrears of insurance contributions in respect of part-time employees whom they understand to be in the primary employment of another, she will make compulsory notification by all such part-time employees of the names and addresses of all persons from whom they may accept other part-time employment.

I am not aware of any general difficulty which would justify such a burdensome measure of compulsion.

Does the right hon. Lady think it fair that this extra responsibility should be placed on the employers of part-time labour? It is especially a responsibility which is bound to increase with the rearmament drive.

I have always regarded the hon. and gallant Member as fair in matters of this kind, and surely he would not ask me to put the same responsibility on the shoulders of the employees.

asked the Minister of National Insurance to what extent her regulations permit fuel and clothes, or a monetary grant in lieu thereof, to be granted by the National Assistance Board to old age pensioners in genuine need.

The scale rates laid down in the regulations are intended to cover normal expenditure on fuel and clothing. Additions, whether in cash or kind, can, however, be made where necessary to meet some special circumstance or exceptional need.

In these days of almost prohibitive costs of clothing and coal for those living on fixed incomes, could not the Assistance Board, which is so sympathetically administered by Mr. George Buchanan, be given extended powers in this matter?

They are given wide powers of discretion, and I am sure that the hon. Member will be glad to learn that last year they made 132,500 lump sum grants.

In view of the rising cost of living, which is nobody's fault particularly—[Laughter]—it is certainly not that of the Government—can my right hon. Friend tell us whether, in the case of old age pensioners and people qualified for supplementary assistance, it is proposed to extend the discretionary allowances in order to help them in their present difficulties?

If people are given wide discretion there is no need to extend it.

Is it clear that the Board have discretion to take immediate action to increase the allowances, following on the increased price of coal announced by the Minister's right hon. Friend last week?

They have discretion to take into account the circumstances in which a person lives.

asked the Minister of National Insurance what additional steps she proposes to take to alleviate the distress amongst old age pensioners in view of the effect of re-armament upon the cost of living.

I would remind my hon. Friend that if any pensioner is in need it is open to him to apply to the National Assistance Board for supplementary assistance.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that that does not answer the question I addressed to her?

It was hypothetical.

asked the Minister of National Insurance whether she will consult with the Assistance Board with a view to giving greater assistance to supplementary pensioners in need of boots, bedclothes and wearing apparel, in view of the rising cost of living.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to the hon. Member for Govan (Mr. Browne) on 28th November, a copy of which I am sending him.

Can the Minister tell me whether that reply is encouraging, or is couched in the usual language?

It is always very difficult to satisfy my hon. Friend, but perhaps the figures which I have given—he may not have been in the House when I gave them—will go some way towards doing so. During the last year, we gave 132,000 lump sums in supplementary grants to assist pensioners, which totalled £490,643.

asked the Minister of National Insurance how much has been paid in compensation to workers injured at their work during 1948, 1949 and 1950.

The total amount paid in benefit under the Industrial Injuries scheme from 5th July, 1948 (when the scheme came into operation) to 31st March, 1949, was £5,675,000. For later figures I would ask my hon. Friend to await the accounts of the Industrial Injuries Fund for 1949–50, which will be published shortly.

asked the Minister of National Insurance if the National Assistance Board has recovered payments made to gas workers in the recent illegal strike.

No, Sir; the Board have no power to recover them.

With great respect, is not the Minister satisfied that, under Section 9 of the 1948 Act, the Board is entitled to recover this claim? As this illegal strike was of great inconvenience to the public, is it reasonable that the public should be asked to subsidise an illegal strike?

The hon. Member is under a misapprehension. I would ask him to read the Act again, more carefully.

Has the Minister read the Section of the Act? Is she also aware that it is not only in accordance with the Act that recovery should be made but in accordance with the intentions of the National Assistance Board, as expressed in a letter of 31st October last, when they said:

"If assistance is granted to a person on strike, it is on the understanding that the amount granted will be repaid"?

If the hon. Member reads the Act more carefully he will see that we can only recover allowances which are made when a man is in full employment.

What about Section 11 (2)?

Is my right hon. Friend aware that during the Committee stage of the National Assistance Act we passed an Amendment which abolished the Vagrancy Act, which the Opposition now seek to resurrect?

Yes, Sir.

asked the Minister of National Insurance when the hon. Member for Huntingdon may expect a reply to his letter, dated 11th January, to the Minister of Labour which has been passed to her Department for attention; and whether she will make a statement about the operation of the National Insurance Seasonal Workers Regulations, 1950, so far as they affect the payment of unemployment benefit to women who are employed in agriculture, except during the off-season from Christmas until the end of the winter.

I have now written to the hon. Member. I do not think that there is any more I can say by way of general explanation of the position.

Is the Minister aware that these seasonal regulations produced a most unexpected result in the farming community in the Fens, where for years women had worked all the year through, as far as they possibly could, and, quite rightly, were entitled to unemployment benefit? Now a sudden change has been made. Will she look into the matter again?

The hon. Member surely recognises that in dealing with very many of these seasonal occupations we have a very difficult task. Before the regulations were made we invited representatives of all seasonal workers to give evidence before the National Insurance Advisory Committee and, having received that evidence, the regulations were drafted. I think it would be only right and proper to allow the regulations to operate for a year to see how they affect the position.

Is the Minister aware this is something which is causing great concern not only in my hon. Friend's constituency but in other parts of the country? Would she say why women—they generally are women—who buy a stamp should not be entitled to receive benefits when they cease to be employed?

The hon. Member is quite wrong. They have made a contribution and they are still entitled to unemployment benefit during the regular working period. They are also entitled to sickness benefit, which is very important to them.

Would the Minister say to whom she was referring when she said that before the regulations were drafted representatives of seasonal workers were consulted?

The representatives of the unions which represent workers in the agricultural industry.

Would the Minister consider franking the cards of seasonal workers when they are unemployed during the off-season?

May I ask if the information the Minister has given about consultations which took place would lead us to suppose that if the advice happens to be wrong she will not do anything to put the matter right?

I think that the people who should advise us concerning the conditions of workers are workers' representatives.

asked the Minister of National Insurance if she will make a statement or issue a White Paper on her visit to Egypt so that this country may benefit from the experience gained by the working of the social service schemes of Egypt.

asked the Minister of National Insurance what was the detailed cost of her official visit to Egypt; what was the object of this visit; and what other similar visits are contemplated.

I went with two officials of my Department on a return visit to Egypt as the guest of the Egyptian Government, several of whose Ministers and officials had recently visited this country. The object of these visits was to foster good relations and to examine the latest developments in the social services of each country. The cost of our visit was £435 5s. 6d., of which £400 10s. 6d. was for fares. I am not aware that any similar visit is at present contemplated.

Would the right hon. Lady tell us what she learned from that visit, or did she go there to teach them something?

I am very surprised that the hon. Member should ask me that question, in view of the fact that he always professes, in the House, to have knowledge of what is happening in the Middle East and Far Eastern countries. I am surprised to learn that he does not know that during this year the Minister of Education in Egypt, who was invited by Oxford University recently to receive an honorary degree, introduced universal free education there; that the State, for the first time, has sponsored and financed welfare services; and that last week, on 2nd February, 400 offices were opened in one region from which to administer national assistance. In my opinion, these things should be encouraged, and if my visit did anything to encourage them it was well worth while.

Would the Minister consider, favourably, arranging for a meeting in the House to instruct the Opposition in the knowledge which she has gained from overseas, as it appears that they could do with some education on this subject?

Will the right hon. Lady accept my gratitude for having given me the information in her supplementary answer for which I asked in my original Question?

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power how last year's total tonnage of refined oil products made in this country compares with the total tonnage made in 1938.

The output of refined oil products in the United Kingdom in 1950, including the quantities lost and used in the refining process, was approximately 9.4 million tons. In 1938 the corresponding figure was 2.5 million tons.

Does not the second figure show that the recent statement of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on a party platform, that before the war no oil was refined in this country and that the Labour Government had introduced a new industry, had no foundation in fact?

Since refineries are now being constructed which will give an output in 1953 of 21 million tons—about eight or nine times as much as in 1938—I think that my right hon. Friend's words were fully justified.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the amount of home refining in this country before the war was decided upon partly in the light of risk from air raids; and is he satisfied that this great increase of refineries in these small islands is not without anxiety, in view of the risk of atom bomb attack?

I am not imputing any blame on the Government or on the companies before the war. I think that the reasons for the construction of the new refineries are very strong, especially on economic grounds.

Can the Minister say how much of this refinement took place at White's Club?

Can the right hon. Gentleman say how much of the present output of refined oil is produced by nationalised industries?

All the refineries belong to private companies, of course, but the Government have given them strong support.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what steps he has taken to secure that the publicity activities of the electricity and gas industries are co-ordinated with his efforts to secure economy in the use by the public of electricity and gas.

I have set up a committee consisting of representatives of the electricity and gas industries, the National Coal Board and the Coal Utilisation Joint Council, with my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary to my Ministry in the chair. I have asked the committee to ensure that all the publicity work of the three industries is co-ordinated with the efforts of my Department to secure economy in the use of fuel and power.

Will the right hon. Gentleman be prepared, from time to time, to inform the House of the doings of this committee, and, in particular, will he answer questions about its doings?

I should like notice of that question.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that his Parliamentary Secretary, in winding up last Thursday's coal debate, gave a specific assurance that an early statement would be made on the question of co-ordinating policy, and may we know when that statement will be available?

Perhaps the hon. Gentleman will put his question down.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what consideration has been given to the banning during the normal working hours of mid-week football and racing during the fuel shortage: and what decision has been reached.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Durham, North-West (Mr. Murray) on 23rd January.

Will my right hon. Friend explain why, if the situation is so serious as to warrant a request to turn out street lights at 11 p.m., or earlier, which has a very bad psychological effect it is unreasonable, in those circumstances, to ask for the banning of mid-week sport during normal working hours for the next few months?

I can only ask the Football Association to postpone cup-ties if I can give them evidence that they materially affect production of coal, and no such evidence exists either for this year or for last year.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware of the opinion strongly expressed by Sir Patrick Dollan and most widely supported throughout Scotland? Will he do something about it?

I have explained to Sir Patrick the facts on which this policy is based.

How does my right hon. Friend expect tens of millions of people to understand the gravity of the situation if this sort of thing is allowed to go on? Does he know that the President of the Mineworkers' Union would like football matches to take place on Sundays instead of during the week, when they interfere with production?

I can only repeat that, as far as football is concerned, there is no evidence to show that it adversely affects coal production. Racing is still under consideration. The turning out of lights at night has had a very good psychological effect in helping to persuade patriotic citizens to save electricity and gas.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he is aware that insurance companies do not cover accidents which may be caused by a sudden fuel cut; and what provision he proposes to make to ensure that compensation is payable to individuals in the case of accident.

I have no evidence that any insurance company has refused to issue policies to cover accidents which might result from power cuts. If the hon. and gallant Member has received evidence to this effect, perhaps he will be good enough to let me have it. I have not heard of any case in which personal injury has resulted from such an accident; I do not think, therefore, that any special provision for compensation is required.

If I produce the evidence, will the right hon. Gentleman go into the question of accidents caused to people in old peoples' homes and clubs as a result of sudden power cuts? Is he aware that insurance companies will not give cover to these people?

I will, of course, go into any evidence the hon. and gallant Member produces. Such people would have the normal benefits under the National Insurance system, and if there were injury in a factory it would be covered by the 1946 Act.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power if he can report the progress in the establishment of a warning system or a rota system for power cuts and load shedding in the area of Morecambe and Heysham and the area of the Lancaster Rural District Council.

The establishment of a rota or warning system in the areas of Morecambe, Heysham, and the Lancaster Rural District Council is a matter for the North-Western Electricity Board, and I suggest that the hon. Member should write to them.

Is not the fact that this Question is on the Order Paper prima facie evidence that the Minister is responsible? Will he not therefore answer my Question, because this is not only important to this district but to all factories, which should be warned before a cut takes place?

I have had discussions with the B.E.A. and with the area boards on the general principle of national warnings, but I must leave local application to the boards themselves.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether, in view of the announcement by the chairman of the British Electricity Authority on 5th December, 1950, in London, that the electricity system of this country might collapse by reason of the failure of His Majesty's Government to allot sufficient funds for the construction of generating stations, he proposes to terminate the chairman's appointment.

No, Sir.

Does it follow from that answer that the right hon. Gentleman accepts as true the very serious charges against His Majesty's Government contained in the noble Lord's speech? Is he aware that if they are true, then other and more conspicuous resignations will be demanded?

No, Sir, I do not admit the interpretation put on the speech by the hon. Member.

Will my right hon. Friend resist the suggestion that a totalitarian uniformity of opinion should be imposed on the chairmen of national boards?

Is it with the Minister's knowledge and approval that the chairman has been absent from this country for over two months at a time of crisis?

Yes, Sir. It was thought to be of great importance that Lord Citrine should attend a conference in India.

As the speech of the chairman has been obviously misrepresented in the Question, will my right hon. Friend tell us precisely what he did say?

Will the right hon. Gentleman say what interpretation he places on the statement that the electricity industry of this country might collapse owing to the financial policy of His Majesty's Government?

That is not what Lord Citrine said. Perhaps the hon. Member will be good enough to look it up.

I will send it to the right hon. Gentleman.

And I will send a copy to the hon. Member.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power if he will make a statement as to why he has not given any statutory directions to the British Electricity Authority to ensure their observance of the Government's policy to discourage the use of funds for the financing of hire-purchase agreements.

The policy of His Majesty's Government is to restrict the borrowing of money for the extension of facilities for hire-purchase. The electricity boards borrow no money for this purpose; they finance their hire-purchase sales from trading surpluses. The value of the sales by the boards of appliances on hire-purchase terms is, at today's prices, well below the level of sales by the electricity supply industry before the war; and if the appliances on hire are included, the amount is less than one-third. Nevertheless, I am considering whether any restrictions are required.

Will the right hon. Gentleman take some urgent action in the matter? Is it not the case that the Treasury have issued a directive that this kind of financing of hire-purchase agreements is inflationary? If it is inflationary when it is done by the banks, is it any less inflationary when it is done by a nationalised authority? Will the right hon. Gentleman give an assurance that this matter will receive immediate attention?

The Treasury instruction was about the expansion of hire-purchase, and there has been no such expansion.

Does the right hon. Gentleman not understand that an authority of this sort, which has the support of British credit behind it and can raise money on the market at very cheap rates, is competing with private industry? Is it not grossly unfair to allow this competition to go on?

The right hon. Gentleman is quite wrong. There is an agreement between the associations of manufacturers and the boards about this matter.

When the right hon. Gentleman says that there has been no expansion, will he be good enough to refer to the Second Report of the British Electricity Authority, which shows that, as compared with 1939, hire-purchase sales were 10 per cent. and cash sales 90 per cent., whereas last year hire-purchase sales were 25 per cent. and cash sales 75 per cent., which is an expansion of two and a half times?

Yes, Sir, but there has been a very great contraction on hiring, which is even more inflationary. I am considering the whole matter, but I am very reluctant to make it impossible for poor people to buy cookers, vacuum cleaners and other labour-saving devices which help women in their homes.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he will make a statement on the Government's long term policy on fuel utilisation in order to ensure the most economical use of existing and prospective fuel resources in Great Britain and to prevent the hardships and dislocation of annual shortages.

His Majesty's Government attach the highest importance to promoting the efficient use of fuel in industry, commerce, transport and the home. I hope that the scientific research now going on will lead to big results within a period of years. In the meantime, a satisfactory increase of efficiency is being obtained in industry by means of my Department's mobile testing units, its service of fuel engineers, and the provision of stoker demonstrators. The Coal Utilisation Joint Council and the Women's Advisory Council on Solid Fuel have done much to make the public understand the advantages of the improved domestic stoves and grates that are now available. But there is still much that urgently requires to be done, and I can assure the hon. Member that it receives my constant attention.

If there is much that requires to be done, could the right hon. Gentleman give us an idea of what he considers it is that requires to be done now?

I believe that industrial firms could make very great savings if they all applied the best known methods of using fuel. Last year we had four mobile units in operation; in a week or two we shall have 16 units visiting firms and bringing them, I hope, up to a higher standard.

Would the right hon. Gentleman approach the three Service Ministers on the question of introducing more modern stoves in Service camps? Is he aware that those at present being used are of archaic design, and have been extremely uneconomical for years and years?

I am much obliged. My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary is taking that matter up with the Service Departments.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether, in view of the acute shortage of coal supplies for domestic consumers, he will take all possible emergency action to facilitate the supplies of logs in Birmingham.

I understand that the right hon. Gentleman has in mind the difficulties of certain coal merchants who were not allowed to stock wood logs in railway yards. I have taken the matter up with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport, and I am glad to tell the right hon. Gentleman that these difficulties have now been overcome.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power how much foreign coal was bought by the National Coal Board in accordance with his instructions; what was the price paid per ton; and from what countries was it purchased.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power if he can yet say what is the price per ton, including freight and all other charges, of coal to be imported into the United Kingdom; and at what average price was similar quality coal exported from this country during 1950.

I am informed by the National Coal Board that they have bought, and chartered ships, for 1,073,300 tons of coal from overseas. The coal has been bought from the United States, India and Nigeria. Their negotiations are not yet complete, and it would, therefore, be contrary both to the public interest and to commercial practice to disclose the prices paid. The imported coal is of four classes, large, graded, smalls and unscreened. According to the Trade and Navigation Accounts, the average f.o.b. values per ton of coal of these classes exported from the United Kingdom in 1950 were as follow: large 81s.; graded 77s. 6d.; smalls, 56s. 2d.; unscreened 73s. 7d. The hon. Member will realise that these are average figures, and that there are wide differences of value for different qualities within these four main categories of coal.

Arising out of the right hon. Gentleman's repeated refusal to give the price paid for this coal, may I ask if he is aware that this price is perfectly well-known to the suppliers in the United States, in whose newspapers the price has been published? Is it, therefore, his view that the only body which shall not have that information is the House of Commons?

No, Sir. The publication of prices in the United States Press has nothing to do with the matter. In due course, I will give the House full information about these transactions, but not until they are fully complete.

In choosing the places from which this coal was bought, was this matter entirely decided by the availability of the coal, or did the Government have time to take into consideration whether one source or another would be more likely to disorganise world shipping?

We took all relevant factors into consideration.

If the right hon. Gentleman cannot give the prices, whatever they are, would he not agree that we are, in fact, buying coal at about three times the price at which we are selling it?

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he will make a statement about the fuel situation.

I would refer the hon. Member to the statement which I made in the coal debate last Thursday.

Does the right hon. Gentleman agree with his right hon. colleague the Minister of Labour in saying that this island is almost entirely composed of coal and that nobody but a genius could possibly organise a shortage of coal?

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what funds raised at the time for the specific purpose of assistance to dependants of those killed or maimed in colliery disasters in Great Britain over the last 30 years still remain; and, of such funds, what amounts in each specific case are now redundant to the needs of such dependants.

A new edition of the Colliery Accident Funds Return was laid before Parliament on 11th December last. It gives the information for which the hon. Member asks.

Is the right hon. Gentleman proposing to take any action so that the funds revealed in that document can be made available in future cases if they are no longer required for payments in respect of previous accidents?

Perhaps the hon. Member will put that question down.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he will consider providing a form of small respirator to miners working in pits where safety lamps are required in order to assist in their escape in case of fire.

My technical staff, in conjunction with the National Coal Board and with the manufacturers concerned, have for some time been studying the problem of providing miners with breathing apparatus of the kind which the hon. Member describes; I have recently given instructions that the work must be regarded as of great urgency and importance. Unfortunately, there are technical and other difficulties yet to be overcome before an apparatus suitable for general use can be devised.

While thanking the right hon. Gentleman for that amount of progress, may I ask if he is aware that there have been recent incidences where the use of this apparatus has been of very real use? The remarks he has made about technical difficulties do not appear to have as much weight as they might.

I gave my instructions after the Knockshinnock accident. Everything is being done to push this matter forward, but it would be very dangerous to have a general distribution of apparatus which has not been proved to be safe and satisfactory.

Is it not true that at Knockshinnock 118 lives were saved by a self-contained respirator? Will my right hon. Friend ask his technical advisers to take this into consideration?

Although these respirators served the purpose admirably in that case, I do not think they are suitable for general distribution in the mines.

Does the right hon. Gentleman really think it advisable to wait until a respirator is classed as absolutely perfect? Would it not be better to issue respirators that might occasionally fail in their purpose rather than have none at all?

We shall certainly do it as quickly as possible, but I must be advised by my inspectors and their expert staffs as to what is safe.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power why there is a shortage of coke in the London area.

During the second half of 1950, the North Thames and South-Eastern Gas Boards sold nearly a quarter of a million tons more coke than in the corresponding period of 1949. The North Thames Gas Board is now supplying the merchants with 1,000 tons a day more than they were a year ago. But since the purchase of coke was freed from restrictions the demand has greatly increased.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that there are large stocks of coke at various gasworks at the present time which cannot be moved because there is not enough coal which locomotives can use to haul wagons?

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether in connection with the supply of coal to Malvern, and adjoining districts, steps can be taken to ensure that the residents are enabled to get the coal which is due to them on the ration; and whether, in view of the complaint of many dealers in the district, that they are unable to get the coal ration to which they are entitled, that the arrears still due will be available forthwith for their customers.

As I am sure the hon. Member is aware, the quantities of coal which a householder may buy are not rations, the supply of which is guaranteed; they are limits up to which he may buy if the necessary supplies are available. The allocations of coal to merchants have never been sufficient to allow them to provide the maximum permitted quantity for every household. I am assured that merchants in Malvern and adjoining districts are receiving their fair share of the available supplies.

Has the right hon. Gentleman ever heard of the Bayton colliery? Is it not a fact that the Coal Board closed this colliery, and that as a result the shortage in Malvern is becoming more and more acute each month? Cannot the right hon. Gentleman do something sensible about it? Will he give me an answer?

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that I was at Bayton last Saturday afternoon investigating this problem, and that there are hundreds of thousands of tons of easily worked household coal, which could abate the coal shortage in the rural areas of Worcestershire?

In view of the thoroughly unsatisfactory answer of the Minister I beg to give notice that I will raise this matter at the earliest possible moment.

Hear, hear.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power why the supplies of coal briquettes and ovoids have been reduced in recent months; and what steps he is taking, in view of the domestic coal shortage, to make available larger quantities of this fuel.

I am informed by the National Coal Board that during recent months they have stepped up the production of ovoids and briquettes, and that by December the weekly output had risen to nearly a third above the level in August last. Subject to the provision of the necessary labour, arrangements have already been made to put the remaining ovoid plants into immediate commission.

Was it not a serious error of judgment to cut down so greatly the production of these two commodities in the early months of this year, in view of the present desperate situation, which should have been foreseen? Is the Minister aware that one merchant alone could sell 20,000 briquettes a week if he could get them?

Briquettes and ovoids are made of coal, and it is a matter for decision what quantity should be used for that purpose and what for other purposes.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he will undertake a survey of agricultural land which may be suitable for opencast mining, and publish its results so that farmers may know whether or not their land will be required, and can, where necessary, go forward with capital development.

The Survey proposed by the hon. Member is being made as rapidly as the number of qualified geologists allows, and the earliest possible information is given to farmers when their land is scheduled to be worked for opencast coal.

Can the right hon. Gentleman say when the survey is likely to be finished, because, in view of the announcement made during the debate last week, it is now a matter of importance to an increasing number of farmers?

It is, of course, a long and laborious matter, and to try rushing it would serve nobody's advantage. It all depends on the number of qualified geologists we can get, and we are getting as many as we can.

Would the right hon. Gentleman consider making the survey available to the House when it is complete? I am sure that he realises that one of the most disturbing results of the coal shortage is the increase in opencast mining, which may have unfortunate consequences for our agricultural industry.

Yes, Sir, I will certainly give all the information I can. If the right hon. Gentleman will put down a Question I will give him an answer.

Can the Minister recollect assuring the farming industry, not so long ago, that there would be a rapid end to this disastrous policy of opencast mining? Why are we stepping it up now? Does he still agree, or not, with what the Minister of Labour once said about a shortage?

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what individuals, other than those actually mining coal or obtaining an extra allowance for sickness, are entitled to more than the normal domestic allocation; what is the average individual amount of coal in-involved; and on what grounds it is provided.

Local fuel overseers are empowered to give licences for additional supplies of coal to domestic consumers who depend on coal for cooking, or who have some special need which results from sickness, chronic infirmity, confinement, a large family, or some special hardship. More than half the licences granted are to provide coal for cooking; in the south the usual supplementary allowance for this purpose is 20 cwt; in the north it is 10 cwt. When extra coal is granted for the other reasons which I have mentioned, the local fuel overseer assesses the need in each case with which he deals. In the year which ended on 30th April last, 1½ million householders received extra coal. The average amount was about 12 cwt.

Am Ito understand from that reply that no concessionary coal is granted to officials of the Coal Board other than those actively employed in obtaining coal?

Certainly, Sir.