§ 24. Mr. Ioan Evansasked the Secretary of State for Energy what progress has been made to implement the plan for coal to generate some 42 million tons of new capacity by the mid-1980s.
§ Mr. EadieThe National Coal Board has now approved projects which will provide about 30 million tons of new capacity.
§ Mr. Woofasked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the latest subsidy per ton of coal produced in the United Kingdom, and in each of the coal producing countries of the European Economic Community.
§ Mr. EadieI have nothing to add to the answer that my right hon. Friend gave on 5th December 1977—[Vol. 940, c. 493.]
417W
§ Mr. Woofasked the Secretary of State for Energy what was the amount of deep-mined coal in Great Britain's coal mines for the month of February, and what was the comparable tonnage in February 1977.
§ Mr. EadieProduction of deep-mined coal in Great Britain was 9,424,000 tons in the four weeks ending 18th February 1978, and 9,453,000 tons in the four weeks ending 19th February 1977.
§ Mr. Woofasked the Secretary of State for Energy what was the amount of output of coal per man-shift in the month of February.
§ Mr. EadieThe average output per man-shift overall in National Coal Board deep mines in the four weeks ending 18th February 1978 was 46.02 cwt. The comparable figure for the corresponding four weeks in 1977 was 45.16 cwt.
§ Mr. Woofasked the Secretary of State for Energy what are the present stocks of coal distributed and undistributed, and what were the comparable figures in the last six months of 1977.
§ Mr. EadieThe latest figures available for coal stocks in Great Britain are for 4th March 1978. These figures, and similar information for each of the last six months of 1977, are given in the following table:
STOCKS OF COAL*: GREAT BRITAIN Date Distributed Stock Thousand tons Undistributed Stock 23rd July 1977 20,444 8,966 20th August 1977 20,374 8,763 24th September 1977 20,484 8,936 22nd October 1977 21,325 8,997 19th November 1977 21,463 10,086 24th December 1977 21,362 9,675 4th March 1978 18,684 9,839 * Excluding distributed stocks held in merchants' yards, etc., mainly for the domestic market, and stocks held by the industrial sector.
§ Mr. Woofasked the Secretary of State for Energy what measures are now required in the longer-term prospects for the preservation of coal production capacity in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. EadieAs I indicated in my reply today to the hon. Member for Aberdare (Mr. Evans), the National Coal Board is pressing ahead with investment in new capacity under "Plan for Coal". The418W consultative document on energy policy (Cmnd. 7101) includes in its proposed energy strategy the creation of further new capacity in the coal industry to come into production in the late 1980s and 1990s—paragraph 14.27. The same document lists measures which can be taken to help the industry cope with short-term problems—paragraph 14.5.
§ Mr. Woofasked the Secretary of State for Energy what consultations he has had with his European Economic Community colleagues on developing an energy strategy which takes account of the growing importance of coal.
§ Mr. BennIn meetings of the Energy Council and discussions with ministerial colleagues I have constantly emphasised the need to recognise the essential place of coal in energy policy as the Community's most important long-term indigenous energy resource and the claims it has for Community support. Also this theme is always repeated by my Department whenever the opportunity offers at the various official meetings which take place on the development of energy policy.