Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Coal – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 8th February 1954.
Yes, Sir, but it must be remembered that the fuel crisis of 1947 was caused by the fact that perhaps only 1 per cent. of the total annual coal production was unavailable at the time in the form of stocks at the critical juncture of the year. That was largely the responsibility of the Government. It is with that sort of problem in mind that the present Government have been careful, on both occasions for which we have been responsible, to build up the stocks with which to face the winter to a total of 2 million tons higher than in any year under the Labour Government.