HC Deb 14 June 1966 vol 729 cc1231-2
32. Mr. Palmer

asked the Minister of Power what advice has been tendered to him by his Energy Advisory Council on the accelerated running down of the coal industry and the finds of North Sea natural gas.

Mr. Marsh

The Energy Advisory Council met last week to take stock of these and other developments. The proceedings of the Council are confidential, but I shall take account of the opinions expressed in my review of fuel policy.

Mr. Palmer

Is my right hon. Friend satisfied that he is likely to get the right sort of objective advice from the Energy Advisory Council since it is mainly made up of the chairmen of the nationalised industries? Is it not a fact that they are likely to be fairly well divided among themselves?

Mr. Marsh

It is true that there is certainly no totalitarian unanimity of opinion among them. On the other hand, the purpose of an advisory committee is to advise. This Council does produce information which will be of very great value to us in the formulation of our fuel policy. We will take our own decisions, but the advice which the Council has tendered is important and will be taken into account.

Mr. Mendelson

While my right hon. Friend is resisting any exaggerated analysis, would he not agree that, in view of the larger number of people leaving the pits, it is now time for him to halt the accelerated pit closure programme?

Mr. Marsh

With respect to my hon. Friend, the problem is rather more complicated. It is not only a question of how many people leave the pits but of which pits they leave. I believe that there is a very real future for a coal mining industry based on economic pits. [Interruption.] I make this point seriously. The big problem to be faced here is how we can maintain a viable coal mining industry, not on the basis of social or sentimental reasons but because the economy of this country needs a coal mining industry of a certain size.