May I start by apologising to you and the House, Mr. Deputy Speaker? Earlier this evening I raised a point in an interjection and I thought that the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry evaded the issue. I was not able to develop my point, but I think that I can now do so, with particular reference to Regulation 21.

This regulation refers to the supply of fuel and refinery products and the consumption of solid or liquid fuel and refined products. In my Constituency—this is true of the constituencies of many hon. Members, especially on this side—there are many poor old age pensioners, people on low incomes and immigrants. Most of these people have for some time relied on the supply of paraffin oil for heating and cooking. They have done this in the past not because they particularly chose to have paraffin oil but because it has been a cheaper commodity, and easier for them to use for keeping their homes warm and for cooking the little bits of food that they can afford.

Since the emergency started we have heard the Minister say—I have not heard this disputed—that his Department has been doing a wonderful job in the supply and allocation of petrol for motorists. With the greatest respect, I suggest that the Minister has not even attempted—though he has the regulations enabling him to do so—to ensure that, first, there is an adequate supply of paraffin and, as the regulation says, Where any fuel or refinery product is supplied to any person in pursuance of a direction under this Regulation, that person shall pay such price in respect thereof as may be reasonable. What does the Minister feel to be reasonable?

Like many of my hon. Friend's constituents, including those of my hon. Friend the Member for Paddington, North (Mr. Latham), many of my constituents are old-age pensioners. At present they are having to spend hours walking around trying to obtain paraffin from garages and suppliers. They are finding difficulty in obtaining any supplies.

I give all my constituents pre-paid printed postcards so that they can easily arrange an appointment for me to go to see them in their homes. One of my constituents is an old lady, aged 85. She explained to me that she had spent two hours going from garage to garage. The answers she got were that they had no paraffin, that they were limited in supply or that they had their regular customers.

After two hours she could get no paraffin. She happened to tell a schoolboy of her trouble, and he said that he would try to get her some paraffin, which he eventually did. She said to me, "It cost me 23p for a gallon, and I had to give the schoolboy a couple of coppers for his trouble, even though he did not want to accept it". That means 25p a gallon—five shillings in the old money.

This is not a matter of luxury, of driving around in a car. It is not a matter in which old-age pensioners can do anything else, because pensioners could never afford gas and electricity for heating and cooking before the crisis. They now have Valor-type stoves in their homes. Before going to bed, they put on the stoves their grog or drop of milk to warm it. Some are lucky enough to have a television set, as is the lady that I have mentioned. When she is watching television she puts a little milk on her Valor stove.

This old lady is being inconvenienced and subjected to suffering by spending two hours traipsing around the streets trying to get paraffin and being unable to get it except at an exorbitant price. But when I take up this matter with the Minister, he refuses to do anything about it. I shall feel like opposing these regulations unless the Minister can assure me that, just as he has said that garages may not charge more than 40p for a gallon of petrol, he will see that paraffin is not sold for more than a few coppers in excess of what it cost prior to the emergency.

Alternatively, I have a suggestion for the Home Secretary. Local authorities use paraffin in connection with their work. Is it possible to advise them that they should have available at their depots supplies of paraffin for old-age pensioners? I go further and say that, according to the Chancellor, it is the object of the Government to help the hard pressed and under privileged. Is it possible to arrange for local authorities to supply, say, a gallon of paraffin a week at a subsidised price, or even free, on production of an old-age pension book? That would help the old-age pensioners to get the supplies which they cannot get at the moment, and would also help them financially, at relatively little cost to the Government. If the price of paraffin cannot be subsidised, it is surely possible to arrange for it to be supplied at cost price.

There is no question of interfering with private industry. If private garages are short of paraffin, they may not want to supply the odd gallon here and there. But local authorities could be allocated supplies by order of the Minister and it could be made widely known that old-age pensioners, immigrants and the sick and disabled—whose records are held by the welfare departments of local authorities—would be able to obtain supplies. I therefore ask the Minister for an assurance that he will take some action to see that the price of paraffin is reasonable, and that supplies are allocated to these people.