§ 7. Lieut. -Commander Baldockasked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether, in view of the difficulties and expense involved in working the Ravenstone seam by opencast methods, namely, the value of the agricultural land, the proximity to the village church and school, the need to divert the brook and the liability to the sewage farm, he will now abandon this project.
§ Mr. FollickOn a point of order, Is it your desire—
§ Mr. FollickI wish the hon. and gallant Member would not interrupt on a point of order. Is it not a tradition of this House, Mr. Speaker, that before an hon. Member puts down a Question on the Order Paper about another hon. Member's division he should advise that hon. Member that he is doing so? [HON. MEMBERS: "No."] Further, are you aware, Mr. Speaker, that only last Wednesday I was in private conversation with the Minister of Power and Fuel—[Laughter.] I do not know why hon.. Members are laughing. I was asking for your advice and ruling, Mr. Speaker. I was in private conversation with the Minister of Fuel and Power about this, very question last Wednesday.
§ Mr. SpeakerThere is nothing that I can do in this matter. What an hon. Member may ask in a Question is not my affair. If an hon. Member asks a Question which affects another hon. Member's constituency it is a matter for the two, hon. Members concerned, and not for me.
Air Commodore HarveyCan the hon. Member for Loughborough (Mr. Follick) inform the House of the result of the conversation he had with the Minister?
§ Mr. FollickYes, Mr. Speaker, I can advise the House about the result of this conversation. It is that the Minister is giving this matter his earnest attention.
§ Lieut. -Commander BaldockMay I say, Sir, that I did not inform the hon. Member about this matter because I knew that he had already gone into the question and that he had told the local people that there was nothing further to be done.
§ Mr. FollickTotally untrue.
§ Mr. SpeakerThe hon. Gentleman may not say that what another hon. Gentleman says is totally untrue. He may say that an hon. Member is mistaken, but he may not say that what he has said is totally untrue.
§ Mr. FollickI withdraw the words "totally untrue," but I should like to say that what the hon. and gallant Gentleman the Member for Harborough (Lieut. -Commander Baldock) has said is not 'accurate. What I told the local people was that I was trying to do my best to get the matter straightened out.
§ Mr. SpeakerI think that we had better have the Minister's answer to the Question, and then we can know what it is all about.
§ Mr. James StuartFurther to the point of order. How could you, Mr. Speaker, know about a private conversation between the hon. Gentleman opposite and the Minister?
§ Mr. SpeakerI quite agree. I can have no notice of that or any knowledge of any conversation with the Minister of "Power and Fuel."
§ Mr. P. Noel-BakerThe answer to the Question is: No, Sir. The site at Ravenstone should yield more than 400,000 tons of coal during the next two years. I am satisfied that the work can be done without danger to the church or school. I am now discussing with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture the means by which the land can be most effectively restored. There will be no difficulty in diverting the brook, and no risk of damage to the sewage farm.
§ Lieut. -Commander BaldockIs the Minister not prepared to say that he will drop this scheme even if it proves to be uneconomical? Will he at least hold a local inquiry to investigate all the problems concerned with the amenities of the old village there?
§ Mr. Noel-BakerNo, Sir, I am sure that no inquiry is now required. We must have this coal and the scheme will be economic.
§ Mr. Tom BrownWill my right hon. Friend consider or recommend to the opencast mining branch of his Department the system of working opencast coal known as the bench and bench system, 8 which does far less damage and yields more coal even though it may be dearer?
§ Mr. Noel-BakerIf my hon. Friend will let me have particulars I will certainly look into that.