§ Lord Kilmanyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the announcement that the National Coal Board is embarking upon a further search for coal under the North Sea may be taken as an earnest of their intention to avoid, if possible, any depredation of the Vale of Belvoir.
§ The Earl of MansfieldThe National Coal Board is charged with the duties of working coal in Great Britain, and of securing the efficient development of the coal mining industry. The search for coal under the North Sea, or elsewhere in Great Britain, is not necessarily an alternative to the development of the North-East Leicestershire coalfield. Following the statement concerning the Vale of Belvoir made in another place on 25th March by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for the Environment (and which was repeated in your Lordships' House by my noble friend Lord Bellwin) the National Coal Board has announced that it is studying urgently the possibility of new planning applications relating to the North-East Leicestershire coalfield.