Mr. Parker asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he proposes to take to see that professional driving instruction is maintained throughout the Present Petrol Crisis.

At the time of the Petrol Crisis it seemed iniquitous that local authority transport should have been removed from the disabled people who wanted to attend meetings of the disabled.

Whenever there is a Petrol Crisis, there tends to be a mad rush of motorists to the petrol pumps, with the consequence that far from a reduction in the amount of petrol in circulation there is an increase.

In view of the growing gravity of the Petrol Crisis, will my right hon. Friend urge upon her fellow statesmen at Tokyo a joint programme for reductions in petrol consumption throughout the Western world?

Indeed, he showed his total lack of concern for rural areas as the Secretary of State for Energy when there was a Petrol Crisis and prices were being "bunged-up".

However, in view of the Government's new policy of listening and contrition, would not it be appropriate if the Minister made some apology to the country for the complete mess the Government have made of the Whole Petrol Crisis?

The second story concerned the Petrol Crisis and the continuing publicity it has received.

Does the Minister agree that the region that is suffering most from the Petrol Crisis is Northern Ireland, particularly the border counties, because of the enormous difference in price on each side of the border - 85p a litre on our side and 60p a litre on the other?

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the correspondence sent by his Department in 2000 to chief constables asking them to submit claims for special grants to cover costs incurred by the Petrol Crisis.

When we hit the Petrol Crisis it was clear that there was no great plan.

My Lords, I shall not comment in detail on what may or may not have happened with the Petrol Crisis last year.

Young people found out what their legs were for only during the Petrol Crisis.

Some expressed dissatisfaction in light of the Petrol Crisis and the foot and mouth epidemic, which some of them had only just survived.

He has all sorts of powers of direction, which are used informally such as when there is a Petrol Crisis and airliners fly into buildings in the United States.

I know it is easy to get carried away and perhaps to overstate the case, but my views are coloured by the Petrol Crisis in 2002.

Only a Government who started a Petrol Crisis when trying to avoid one and whose idea of putting more police on the streets is having thousands demonstrating outside Parliament would have a policy of building two carriers, mothballing one immediately, selling the Harriers and having no planes to fly off aircraft carriers for a decade.

We face a Petrol Crisis in our tax system, our oil companies and our banks.