§ 28. Major Legge-Bourkeasked the Minister of Fuel and Power if he will give the number of cases, showing acreages 1323 and periods in excess of four weeks, where opencast coalmining has ceased and restoration has not begun.
§ Mr. ShinwellI regret that information in the form requested by the hon. and gallant Member is not available, and could not be obtained without special inquiry. If, however, he has in mind any particular case where restoration seems to have been unduly delayed and will send me details, I will look into the matter.
§ 29. Major Legge-Bourkeasked the Minister of Fuel and Power what were the total estimated yields of opencast coal from sites already restored, and from sites where working has finished but which await restoration; and what were the actual yields in both cases.
§ Mr. ShinwellOn 28th May, 1947, the latest date for which the information is available, 15,091,197 tons of coal had been produced from worked out sites, as compared with original estimates before working started of 18,767,346 tons, or an overall recovery of 80.4 per cent. The information available does not distinguish between sites already restored and worked out sites awaiting restoration.
§ Major Legge-BourkeWould the Minister say whether some of the sites which originally were considered not to be worth working, in the light of the quality of the coal, are now being worked, in view of the yield being considered adequate?
§ Mr. ShinwellOf course, the quality of coal varies on these opencast sites. We must go on working them.
§ Major Legge-BourkeIs it not a fact that sites which were likely to produce poor quality coal are now being worked, despite the fact that it was not intended to requisition them earlier on; and is coal of poor quality now being used for some other purpose that was not possible before?
§ Mr. ShinwellIt seems as if the hon. and gallant Member has some particular case in mind. I wish he would let me have it.
§ 30. Major Legge-Bourkeasked the Minister of Fuel and Power if he Will, on application, provide owners of land re- 1324 quisitioned for opencast coalmining with a copy of the conditions as to restoration contained in each contract affecting their land.
§ Mr. ShinwellYes, Sir.
§ Brigadier MackesonHave the county agricultural executive committees also given some information, in view of the importance of ensuring that proper drainage is instituted when restoration work takes place; and will the right hon. Gentleman consider that?
§ Mr. ShinwellI will look at it but I should imagine that every owner of requisitioned land is furnished with a copy, and that is as much as I could do.