Coal Industry Dispute (Hansard, 23 July 1984)

§ 21. Mr. John Hunt
asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on the miners' dispute.

§ 22. Mr. Eadie
asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on the current situation in the mining industry.

§ 25. Mr. Barron
asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on the current mining dispute.

§ 28. Mr. Canavan
asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he will make a statement about the miners' strike.

§ 36. Mr. Parry
asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on the miners' dispute.

§ Mr. Peter Walker
I refer to the answer I gave today to the hon. Member for Pontefract and Castleford (Mr. Lofthouse).

§ Mr. Hunt
As Mr. Scargill's forecasts of the level of coal stocks have repeatedly proved to be so wildly inaccurate, should it not now be clear to every miner in the land not only that Mr. Scargill is an isolated and discredited figure but that his words can no longer be trusted on this matter or anything else?

§ Mr. Walker
It is true that before the beginning of the dispute it was said that there were only eight weeks' supply of coal at the power stations. That was repeated in March, April and May, and again more recently. As my hon. Friend said, the allegation has always been proved to be totally unjustified. There are at present many months of stocks at the power stations.

§ Mr. Eadie
Surely the right hon. Gentleman must agree, from the exchanges across the Floor today, that he and the Government are the discredited people. Does the right hon. Gentleman agree that the strategy of the Government of which he is a Cabinet Member is to starve the miners into submission, and that that strategy will not succeed?

§ Mr. Walker
I remind the hon. Gentleman that, after a ballot, one third of the miners are working, and if he wishes to accuse anyone of endeavouring to starve people into submission, he has done so in respect of a Government who have invested more in coal than any other, and guaranteed that there will be no compulsory redundancies.

§ Mr. Neil Hamilton
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Question No. 23, which was tabled in my name, has been missed out.

§ Mr. Speaker
Question No. 23 refers to lead in petrol. We have been dealing with the mining industry in Question No. 21. The hon. Gentleman's question was not included in that grouping.

§ Mr. Dalyell
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Question No. 46 was tabled by the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire (Mr. Kirkwood), a Liberal Member, asking how many hours the House has sat after midnight. Have you had any indication from the hon. Gentleman as to why he was not present to ask his question at 3.15 pm?

§ Mr. Speaker
No, I have had no indication why the hon. Member was not here.

§ Mr. Peter Bruinvels
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. It may have come to your attention that today's Order Paper contains 114 questions tabled by the hon. Member for Linlithgow (Mr. Dalyell) on the subject of the Falkland Islands. That will cost the taxpayer a large sum of money. Would it not have been a better plan for the hon. Gentleman to write a letter instead of tabling so many questions?

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. Every hon. Member has the right to table questions, if he judges that he wishes to have the answers to them.