§ 6. Mr. Nealasked the Paymaster-General how much of the increased output of opencast coal during the current year has been produced from sites in Derbyshire.
§ Mr. RentonAbout five per cent.
§ Mr. NealDoes the Parliamentary Secretary agree that this county has borne a disproportionate share of inconvenience as a result of opencast mining? In view of the fact that there is now four times as much opencast coal in stock as there was at this time last year, will he 781 lessen the convulsion caused to agriculture in Derbyshire by promising that no more new sites will be opened for production?
§ Mr. RentonIt is true that opencast coal mining has taken place in Derbyshire on a large scale for many years, but opencast coal has to be worked where Nature has provided it. I certainly do not think that the output from the Derbyshire sites has been disproportionate. It has, indeed, made an essential contribution to the national economy and has saved us many tons of coal imports.