§ Mr. RedwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions which areas the Coalfield Task Force is examining in drawing up its programme of action. [31852]
§ Mr. Caborn[holding answer 27 February 1998]: The Task Force's terms of reference state that the geographical focus of their work should be areas of England which continue to experience acute problems as a result of the run-down of the coal industry during the 1980s and 1990s. However, the Task Force is conscious of the difficulties in drawing precise boundaries to define former coalfield communities and has placed no restrictions on the evidence it has taken and the visits it has made.
§ Mr. RedwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assumptions about pit closures and mining job losses the Coalfield Task Force has made in planning its work. [31859]
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§ Mr. Caborn[holding answer 27 February 1998]: The Secretary of State has asked the Task Force to consider what more might be done to breathe life back into communities where pits have already closed. It has therefore not been necessary to make any such assumptions in planning their work.
§ Mr. RedwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how much money will be spent in the next three years on the Coalfield Task Force's Action Programme. [31853]
§ Mr. Caborn[holding answer 27 February 1998]: The Secretary of State will chair a national conference in the Spring to launch an action plan in response to the recommendations of the Coalfield Task Force. The Task Force has not yet formulated its recommendations so it is too early to anticipate any resource implications. The Task Force's terms of reference state that it will work within public expenditure constraints.