§ 8. Mr. GORDON MACDONALDasked the Secretary for Mines the number of collieries that were closed down permanently in Lancashire and Cheshire during each of the last three years, and the number of workpeople involved?
§ Mr. SHINWELLDuring 1928, 18 pits in Lancashire and Cheshire, employing 2,248 wage-earners, closed, and have since been definitely abandoned. The corresponding figures for 1929 were seven pits employing 1,682 wage-earners, and for 1930, nine pits employing 518 wage-earners. In addition, 29 pits, employing 3,418 wage-earners, have been closed during these years and not since reopened, but no notification of abandonment has been received.
| Year | Lancashire. | Cheshire. | |||||
| Number of collieries visited. | Number of underground inspections made. | Number of collieries visited. | Number of underground inspections made. | ||||
| 1928 | … | … | … | 207 | 1,459 | 10 | 26 |
| 1929 | … | … | … | 202 | 1,435 | 8 | 16 |
| 1930 | … | … | … | 206 | 1,341 | 8 | 48 |