§ 33. Mr. Skinnerasked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will give a general direction to the National Coal Board to stop the closing of any pits until the Government have fully determined their regional policy.
§ The Under-Secretary of State for Energy (Mr. Gavin Strang)I would ask my hon. Friend to await the outcome of the tripartite inquiry into the future of the coal industry which my right hon. Friend is setting up with the National Coal Board and the unions. Meanwhile, he will be aware of the NCB's well-established procedure for dealing with closures under which the views of the unions are taken into account.
§ Mr. SkinnerAlthough my hon. Friend might be prepared to wait a while for the tripartite talks, is he aware that the 700 miners of Glapwell Colliery in my constituency are not ready for waiting? Is he further aware that there is at least 7 million tons of coal below ground in that colliery, which is threatened with closure by the National Coal Board, and that that coal is valued at £75 million in total? Will he take all these matters into account when he meets the National Coal Board to ensure that Glapwell Colliery is kept open?
§ Mr. StrangI am sure my hon. Friend will recognise that the nationalisation Act placed responsibility for managing the in- 30 dustry on the National Coal Board, and it would be wrong for me to interfere with particular management decisions. Indeed, there are well-worked-out procedures for these matters. But I would also ask my hon. Friend to bear in mind that this tripartite inquiry will be conducted with great urgency and speed and will take all these matters into account.
§ Mr. RostIf there are individual pits which the NCB no longer wishes to operate or own, cannot these be sold to private enterprise if there are individuals who want to manage them for themselves?
§ Mr. StrangNo, Sir.