§ 8. Mr. MARTINasked the Secretary for Mines if he will give the House some information about the present activities of the Coal Mines Reorganisation Commission, the number of areas for which the Commission have submitted schemes because of lack of voluntary schemes, the number of areas which have given notice of intention to contest the matter in a court of law, and the probable date on which the first of such cases will be heard?
§ The SECRETARY for MINES (Mr. Ernest Brown)With regard to the first part of the question, I would refer my hon. Friend to the recently published Report of the Commission. I have no information beyond that given in the Report. With regard to the second part of the question, there is no area for which the Commission has yet submitted a scheme under the Act. The third and fourth parts of the question, therefore, do not arise.
§ Mr. MARTINDoes the hon. Gentleman expect this matter to come to a head in the near future in view of the fact that he is bringing in a Bill to amend the 1930 Act?
§ Mr. DICKIEIs it the intention of the Government to put an early end to this Socialist experiment in industry?