§ Lord Hardy of Wathasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many deep mines they expect to remain in operation in the United Kingdom in five years' time; and whether they expect to enter into discussions during the next year with the United Kingdom mining engineering industry with regard to its future prospects.[HL660]
§ Lord Sainsbury of TurvilleThe size of the industry will depend on a number of economic factors, including the nature of the electricity generating market, the internationally traded price of coal and the ability of the industry itself to become more competitive.
There are deep coal mines in the UK that have extensive reserves and low costs and I would expect deep mined UK coal to continue to play a significant role in the UK energy mix in five years' time.
DTI Ministers meet representatives of the coal mining industry on a regular basis. Most recently my right honourable friend the Minister for Energy and Competitiveness in Europe met representatives of the UK Coal Producers Association on 26 January to discuss the prospects for the industry. During the course of January my right honourable friend also met a number of representatives of the coal industry, mining unions and the coalfield communities. She and officials will stay closely in touch with the industry.
My right honourable friend the Minister for Trade met mining machinery representatives on 7 December to discuss the industry's future prospects. During 2000, DTI officials will continue to maintain regular contact with the sector and ensure that Ministers are kept informed of key issues. Ministers would also be willing to consider any specific requests for further discussions from the industry.