HC Deb 14 July 1949 vol 467 cc654-5
48. Lieut.-Colonel Corbett

asked the Minister of Agriculture what crops have been grown on restored open-cast coal sites.

Mr. T. Williams

The usual procedure in restoring land after open-cast coal working is first of all to seed it to grass so as to develop a pasture that can be grazed. In the last two years, however, a considerable area in the West Riding of Yorkshire has been successfully sown with cereals—wheat, barley, oats, and rye—as a first crop, and small areas have been planted with mustard and potatoes respectively.

Lieut.-Colonel Corbett

Will the Minister say what sort of yields have been received for cereal crops, and whether any experiments in the planting of trees have been carried out?

Mr. Williams

I could not tell the hon. and gallant Member, without notice, what kind of seed is sown, but if he is interested I will gladly let him know.

Lieut.-Colonel Corbett

I said, "yield," not "seed."

Mr. Williams

The yields were reasonably satisfactory in all the circumstances; similar investigations are being carried on.

49. Lieut.-Colonel Corbett

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is satisfied with the degree of fertility achieved after restoration of open-cast coal sites.

Mr. T. Williams

The conditions which govern the recovery of the disturbed land vary from site to site, and the methods adopted have also been varied from time to time in the light of experience. Some sites have consequently made better progress than others. I shall not be content until fully satisfactory results are obtained on all sites, but I think that the procedure which is now adopted is, on the whole, proving successful in restoring land to effective agricultural use.

Lieut.-Colonel Corbett

There may be instances where successful restoration has been carried out, but would the right hon. Gentleman endeavour to stop all opencast mining where it has been found impossible successfully to achieve restoration owing to the heavy nature of the soil, or the fact that the subsoil drainage has been found to have been destroyed after open-cast mining has been carried out?

Mr. Williams

I can assure the hon. and gallant Member that no site is taken over until full consideration has been given to all the relevant factors.

Captain Crookshank

As the right hon. Gentleman qualified his reply by the the words "differences from time to time and site to site," is he satisfied, generally speaking, that agricultural production is not being hindered by this process?

Mr. Williams

I did not suggest anything of the kind. What I suggested was that originally, when sites were being restored, the policy was to sow the land down to grass, but more recently experiments have been made by sowing cereals of various kinds. On the whole the experiments have been not unsuccessful.

Mr. W. R. Williams

On a point of Order. Would it be possible for the amplifying system to be examined, Mr. Speaker, because it seems to be working very unsatisfactorily in this part of the House?