§ 15. Mr. Warbeyasked the Minister of Fuel and Power how many applications by the National Coal Board to extract coal from opencast sites were awaiting approval at 30th June this year; and what was the estimated total amount of winnable coal involved in these applications.
§ Mr. Geoffrey LloydThirty-six applications and 32 million tons.
§ Mr. WarbeyDo not these figures show conclusively that we are losing a good deal of coal which we might otherwise have through the delay of the Government in authorising applications to work opencast sites? Is he aware that production from these sites is now declining for the third year in succession? When are we to have some action?
§ Mr. LloydOnce again the hon. Member has misunderstood the figures, though in this case for a reason which is quite understandable. It is that 32 million tons are contained in some very big sites, one of 20 million tons and another of 7 million tons. The one of 20 million tons has just been cleared by the Scottish Office.
§ Mr. WarbeyDoes the Minister agree that there has been a decline in production from opencast sites and that the National Coal Board in its Report said that this decline was due to delays which were outside the responsibility of the Board?
§ Mr. LloydI have on several occasions in the House made it clear that I have clearly distinguished between the unfortunately bad production from the deep mines and the bad production from opencast and specifically relieved the Coal Board from the responsibility with regard to opencast production which is due to a change in policy over the use of first-class agricultural land.
§ Mr. WoodburnCan the Minister specify the site in Scotland where 20 million tons is to be obtained by opencast?