§ 3.4 P-m.
§ LORD AMHERST of HACKNEYMy Lords, I beg to ask the question standing in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The question was as follows:
§ To ask His Majesty's Government what is the present proportion of coal to dirt and other extraneous minerals in the figures of coal production given by the Ministry of Fuel and Power, and how this proportion compares with the figures before the war.]
§ LORD HENDERSONMy Lords, the coal production figures published by the Ministry of Fuel and Power refer to saleable coal—that is, the coal sold after dirt and extraneous minerals have been removed by screening and/or mechanical cleaning. No comprehensive information is available about the amount of any dirt and extraneous minerals which may remain in the coal sold.
§ LORD AMHERST of HACKNEYI thank the noble Lord for his reply, but would he not agree that at the moment a large quantity of non-combustible material is distributed as coal, which not only makes it difficult to assess the production figures at their true value, but also takes up a lot of valuable transport? Can the noble Lord say what steps are being taken to improve the situation?
§ LORD HENDERSONI have no personal information on the lines of the supplementary question put by the noble Lord. As my original reply stated, there are no comprehensive figures available. 353 Therefore, I cannot add to the point. Perhaps I may say that in 1938 the deep-mined coal was 96.75 per cent. of coal raised and weighed. In October, 1947, the corresponding figure was 93.24 per cent. which shows that the percentage difference between saleable coal and coal raised and weighed has increased from 3.2 per cent. to 6.7 per cent. since 1938. That is the only additional information I am able to give.
§ LORD CHERWELLI take it that the noble Lord would agree, then, that there is twice as much dirt in the coal as there was before the war.