§ Mr. Alan Meale (Mansfield)It gives me great pleasure to present a petition on behalf of more than 136,000 people from Mansfield, Nottinghamshire and elsewhere. The petition calls upon the Prime Minister to intervene personally to stop the recent pit closure programme announced by the Government.
I should like to pay tribute to the Chad News Group, the Mansfield Observer, the Sutton Coldfield Observer and Worksop Guardian whose editors and staff have organised, launched and managed this petition. The petition from people of the area expresses their fears about the consequences of pit closures on their community, which could lead, if unchecked, to the loss of up to 100,000 jobs in the coalfield communities of Britain and up to 32,000 jobs in the areas served by those newspapers.
This fine and honourable petition of honest opinion from my area I give unto the House's keeping and it reads:
To the Honourable the Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Parliament assembled. This humble petition of people of Mansfield, north Nottinghamshire and elsewhere, sheweth that 136,000 people of the said area are deeply concerned about the recently announced pit closure programme and have called upon the Prime Minister to intervene personally to stop these closures.Wherefore your Petitioners pray that your Honourable House listens to this call upon the Prime Minister to intervene personally to stop such measures which would lead to the annihilation of the coal industry.And your Petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray etc.That petition is signed by Mr. Jeremy Plews of 21 Newgate lane, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire.
§ To lie upon the Table