§ 20. Mr. Manuelasked the Minister of Power if he will consider giving a new general direction to the Nationl Coal Board on its policy towards exporting coal.
§ Mr. NabarroHear, hear.
§ Mr. ManuelIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that great concern is now being felt in Ayrshire, particularly 782 among railwaymen, miners, and dockers, because of the reduction of 250,000 tons of export coal a year to Northern Ireland from the port of Ayr? Is he further aware of the statement which has been made in the Northern Ireland Parliament that this coal is now going to be exported from the East Midlands and is going to cost 25s. per ton to the port of shipment as against 9s. per ton from the Ayrshire coalfield to the port of Ayr? Is he concerned with the economics of it? Will he do something about it?
§ Mr. WoodI am certainly very well aware of the great deal of concern felt in the hon. Gentleman's constituency and elsewhere about the change that has been made, but the difficulty I and the Board are in is this. We place on the Board the obligation to make as good commercial transactions as it can. The present stock level in the East Midlands is something like 88 million tons. In the Scottish division it is something like 900,000 tons.
§ Mr. WoodThose are the figures I have. I give them to the House. Quite clearly, the expense of stocking continues to mount up as stocks increase. Therefore, it would seem to be a good commercial judgment of the Board to decrease from the larger stockpile rather than the smaller one. That is why the Board took the decision it has.
Mr. LeeWould the right hon. Gentleman mind repeating that figure, that in the Midlands or somewhere there are 88 million tons?
§ Mr. WoodI am sorry. I must really speak more carefully. Incidentally, may I say how pleased I am that the hon. Member for Newton (Mr. Lee) has dogged my footsteps from the Ministry of Labour?
§ Mr. WoodThere are about 8 million tons in the East Midlands and 900,000 in the Scottish division.
§ Mr. ManuelWould the right hon. Gentleman look at this question again? Is he aware that the unemployment figure in the area I am referring to is double that in the rest of Scotland and that in Scotland it is double that in the 783 rest of the country, so he can see that this is an acute question for us and will arouse a great deal of hostility against his Department, more particularly against the Parliamentary Secretary who resides in the area—I hope to save him further embarrassment?
§ Mr. WoodThis is an early example of the difficulties Ministers get into when they give explanations of actions taken by the National Coal Board for which the Board is responsible.
§ Mr. ManuelSection 3 gives the right hon. Gentleman power.