§ 10. Mr. Nabarroasked the Minister of Fuel and Power the reasons for the recent decision to distribute by road transport practically the whole of the coal output of opencast workings; the additional cost involved by such road transport distribution upon the estimated output of 11,000,000 tons of coal from opencast sites in the current year; and whether 1642 the additional cost is provided for in the re-classification plan of the National Coal Board.
§ Mr. P. Noel-BakerNo such decision has been made. In the Midlands, the National Coal Board have found it desirable to switch a small part of the opencast output from rail to road, but I have no reason to think that this will make any appreciable difference to the overall cost of opencast coal.
§ 14. Mr. Summersasked the Minister of Fuel and Power if he will give figures for 1950 such as will show the distances which opencast coal had to be carried from the workings to the consumer and the proportions of the categories given in each case.
§ Mr. P. Noel-BakerI regret that the figures for which the hon. Member has asked are not available, and I am afraid that they could not be compiled without a disproportionate amount of work.
§ Mr. SummersAre we to understand from that answer that the figures within the Minister's office cannot indicate the distances which opencast coal was being carried to consumers during last year?
§ Mr. Noel-BakerI do not want to give the hon. Member a misleading answer. To get the information he requires would mean analysing and then summarising all the despatches of coal from opencast sites last year. As this work is highly decentralised it would mean a lot of additional labour for—I think—a not very useful purpose.
§ Mr. P. RobertsWere such calculations not done before the general decision was taken to put the whole of opencast coal haulage on the road?
§ Mr. Noel-BakerIf the hon. Member had listened to my last answer he would know that no such decision has been made.
§ Mr. NabarroIf the Minister is unable to provide these figures can he tell the House how he can produce a profit and loss account for opencast mining?
§ Mr. Noel-BakerBecause we add up the profits and losses on the different sites.
§ Mr. SummersIn view of the Minister's answer, how is he able to establish a price for opencast coal if he is not able to calculate the cost of delivery?
§ Mr. Noel-BakerI can calculate the cost of delivery, but what I cannot calculate without a great deal of work is the average length of haul of coal transported by road.
§ 15. Mr. Summersasked the Minister of Fuel and Power what proportion of the coal produced from opencast working in 1950 was delivered by road.
§ Mr. P. Noel-BakerAbout 30 per cent.
§ Colonel Gomme-DuncanWhat is the effect of all this extra load on the already chaotic road transport since nationalisation?
§ Mr. Noel-BakerI do not understand what the hon. and gallant Member means.
§ Colonel Gomme-DuncanIn view of the fact that the figure of 30 per cent. is presumably an addition to the load which nationalised road transport has to carry, what is the effect on that already chaotic road transport?
§ Mr. Noel-BakerAbout 3½ million tons of coal are carried by road. Opencast coal has always been carried by road since opencast working began in 1941.
§ Mr. SummersBy how much is that 30 per cent. to go up this year as a result of the announcements that have appeared in the Press about further deliveries by road from opencast sites?
§ Mr. Noel-BakerIn the West Midlands, of which I was speaking just now, the addition will be about 10,000 tons per week.