asked the Minister of Fuel and Power if he will instruct regional Petroleum Officers to grant supplementary petrol to persons engaged on official political work.

Regional petroleum officers already have these instructions.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that in this instance the chairman of a local branch of a constituency association applied to the regional petroleum officer and was referred back to the political agent——

At Gravesend?

—and will he issue further instructions that the regional petroleum officers should grant petrol to people who are doing this class of work?

These arrangements are all agreed with the chief agents of the parties concerned, and it would be undesirable to leave complete discretion in this matter to the regional petroleum officers.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what, in convenient categories, are the salaries paid to the 197 extra staff recruited to deal with the applications for supplementary petrol ration, also of the 60 officers borrowed; and what is the total cost including office accommodation and travelling and subsistence allowances.

The 197 are grade III clerks. The 60 are mainly junior clerical officers. The scale of pay for grade III clerks varies from 41s. to 116s. a week and that for clerical officers from £140 to £450 per annum. The total cost of the additional staff is estimated at £5,000 per month.

Why is it necessary to incur this extra waste of money? Is not the remedy worse than the disease? May I further ask the Minister whether, in the event of these officers giving a decision with which the appellant is not satisfied, there is any court of appeal, and to whom?

Mr. Deputy-Speaker:

That matter does not arise out of the original Question.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether petrol is issued to parents of children who are weekly boarders to take them to and from their schools at weekends.

Only in special circumstances, where distances are comparatively short and public transport is not practicable.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power the reasons for not allowing holders of supplementary petrol allowances to use the petrol in any car for which they are prepared to pay tax and insurance fees.

Allowances are made on a scale to enable the applicant to cover a certain mileage. Each allowance must therefore be related to a specific car, the approximate capacity of which is known.

Is not one result of this regulation that a great deal of frustration is caused to a large number of people, and revenue, in the form of tax and insurance fees, suffers considerably?

No, Sir. It would obviously be an impossible position for us not to know the horsepower of the car otherwise there would be great scope for evasion. We are prepared, in special cases, to consider the issue of an allowance for two cars, if full particulars are provided.

Can arrangements be made for garage proprietors to use their petrol on a second car, if the first car breaks down? At present they cannot use petrol for the second car without going through the paraphernalia of sending in the registration book and so on.

I have already said that we are prepared to consider special cases of that kind.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether Service men and women on leave will be granted supplementary petrol allowances for shopping, etc., on the same basis as civilians.

Yes, Sir.

Will the Minister make arrangements to see that dealing with these cases is expedited, because at present probably they will have finished their leave before the allowances get-round to them?

I will do my best.