Coal Industry (Hansard, 25 March 2004)

§ 9. Paddy Tipping (Sherwood) (Lab)
What steps she is taking to aid the United Kingdom coal industry. [163441]

§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (Nigel Griffiths)
Since 2000, the Government have provided £165 million under the coal operating scheme and a further £54 million is available under the coal investment scheme, to access coal reserves and help safeguard and create jobs in mining areas. I thank my hon. Friend and other right hon. and hon. Members for helping the Government to compensate 366,000 sick miners, their widows and families. At a cost of £1.9 billion, that is probably the largest public compensation scheme in the world.

§ Paddy Tipping
The investment in compensation for former coal miners is extremely welcome—as is the £54 million of investment aid. Will the Minister act carefully when implementing the large combustion plant directive? A national plan approach could lead not to the coal industry's long-term sustainability but to its early demise.

§ Nigel Griffiths
The Government are working hard to ensure that decisions are in the best long-term interests of the economy. British collieries are among the most efficient in the world. I am aware of the concerns voiced by my hon. Friend and I know that the Minister for Energy, E-Commerce and Postal Services, my hon. Friend the Member for East Ham (Mr. Timms), is meeting a number of colleagues and will listen carefully to their views.

§ Mr. Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury) (Con)
As the son of a former miner and someone who has lived in coal areas, I am concerned about the industry's future. The emissions trading scheme plans to reduce carbon dioxide but—as was said by the hon. Member for Sherwood (Paddy Tipping)—the directive threatens not only the coal industry but coal-fired power stations. Does the Minister think that power stations can be helped to install flue gas desulphurisation, which will be needed for clean coal technology, or will coal have to be imported to survive in future? Or does the Minister see no future for the British coal industry?

§ Nigel Griffiths
Far from it. It is nice to hear words of sympathy for the coal industry from the Opposition, but I can tell the hon. Gentleman—I am sure that the House will know—that Drax, one of the largest and most efficient plants in Europe, is already utilising flue gas desulphurisation. So we have a proven track record in that area and my hon. Friend the Minister for Energy, E-Commerce and Postal Services will this afternoon tell colleagues with genuine concerns on the issue about the steps that he intends to take to make further progress.