§ 69. Mr. Errollasked the Minister of Fuel and Power what progress has been made in improving the ventilation of coalmines; and if he will give figures to show the rate of progress.
§ Mr. RobensNew regulations which came into force in August last year provide for the periodic measurement of the firedamp content of the air on coal faces where electricity is used; and it is, of course, an important general duty of His Majesty's Inspectors of Mines to see that the ventilation requirements under the Coal Mines Act, 1911, are duly observed. Apart from these statutory requirements, 17W steady progress in the improvement of mine ventilation is taking place as a result of research work by scientists and mining engineers, but I regret that it is not possible to measure this progress in terms of figures.