Coal Stocks (Hansard, 11 June 1984)

§ 2. Mr. Dubs
asked the Secretary of State for Energy what was the level of coal stocks held by (a) the National Coal Board and (b) power stations on the latest date for which such information is available.

§ 8. Mr. Yeo
asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement about the current level of coal stocks.

§ Mr. Peter Walker
The most recently published figures are for the end of March. These show pithead stocks at 21.7 million tonnes and stocks at power stations at 23 million tonnes.

§ Mr. Dubs
The Secretary of State said that the most recently published figures were those for the end of March. Why will he not give us the latest figures? Is it not an act of deception on the British public that consistently the right hon. Gentleman hides information to which we are entitled?

§ Mr. Walker
Not at all. It has been the practice when dealing with such questions to give the latest published figures. If it is of any help to the hon. Gentleman, I can tell him that at present power station stocks, which are probably the most important ones, are being reduced at about 1 million tonnes every three to four weeks.

§ Mr. Yeo
Does my right hon. Friend agree that the level of coal stocks is a source of great satisfaction and reflects credit on the management of the National Coal Board? Will he convey the appreciation of the House to those miners who have continued to work, after three months of industrial action by their colleagues, in the face of appalling and vicious intimidation of a sort which, happily, is unusual in this country?

§ Mr. Walker
Yes, Sir. With more than 50 pits working at present in numerous parts of the country, substantial quantities of coal continue to be produced.

§ Mr. Mason
Why should Parliament believe that the Secretary of State's figures are accurate? How do we know that the Secretary of State is telling the truth? [HON. MEMBERS: "Oh!"] Does he recall that on 14 May he was asked by six Opposition Members to intervene in the miners' dispute, and that he refused? He knew at that time that the Prime Minister was manipulating behind the scenes to isolate the National Union of Mineworkers with 623 a vew to smashing it. He was a partner in that intrigue and conspiracy. He misled the House. How does he answer that charge?

§ Mr. Walker
We understand the re-selection problems of the right hon. Gentleman and the manner in which he speaks on these occasions. We prefer him, however, when he does not have to put on such an act. As he knows, the figures are in no way prepared by me. They are official statistics, and I have nothing to do with the figures that are published.

§ Mr. Adley
Can my right hon. Friend confirm—because this does not appear to be widely realised—that the stocks at the Orgreave works, which are the subject of this outrageous behaviour, do not belong to the National Coal Board, but are fuel stocks which have been bought and paid for by, and are in the possession of, the British Steel Corporation? Is there not something quite outrageous about the way in which the NUM is behaving outside a plant the stocks in which do not even belong to the NCB?

§ Mr. Walker
It is staggering to think that, although the TUC has recommended in its guidance on picketing that there should be six people, it was decided to have a mob of 6,000 people. Thanks to the police and those working at Orgreave, however, every lorry load has got through.

§ Mr. Skinner
Why will the Secretary of State not do what all Ministers have done on previous occasions and give the up-to-date figures of coal stocks, instead of going back to the March figures? For many years the Minister of the day, irrespective of party, when asked this question, has given the figure relating to the situation up to about a fortnight previously. The right hon. Gentleman knows that a straight answer would show that stocks are very much depleted. They will be depleted even more now that the railwaymen in the Nottinghamshire area have decided not to carry any more coal. Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the stocks at Orgreave are down to about a fortnight?

§ Mr. Walker
That is right. Orgreave's stocks are down to about a fortnight, because the object is to clear all the stocks, and I am delighted to say that they will all be cleared. As for people predicting stocks, I remind the House that the hon. Member for Bolsover (Mr. Skinner) is the sort of person who believes somebody else, for in February he said that there were only eight weeks' stocks left.

§ Mr. Beaumont-Dark
Is not the recent call by the NUM to the railway unions to make it more difficult for power stations to operate an illegitimate use of industrial power to try to bring down an elected Government? Does he agree that the time has come when somebody somewhere must have the courage to use the law to protect the people against these outrages?

§ Mr. Walker
I am glad to say that the one railway depot which heard the leaders of the two railway unions—there was also an attempt by Mr. Scargill to speak there last week—had a vote on Saturday, and only 36 out of 250 railwaymen at the yard voted to support the action of the NUM.

§ Mr. Allen Mckay
Bearing in mind the time involved in moving stocks from the NCB depot to the power station, will the right hon. Gentleman say whether, in view of what the Transport and General Workers Union has decided, he expects to use Her Majesty's forces to do it?

§ Mr. Walker
No, I do not expect to use Her Majesty's forces. I remind the hon. Gentleman that six or seven weeks ago a similar announcement was made by the Transport and General Workers Union and the railway unions, and they have announced it several times since then, but throughout that time a great deal of coal has been moving.