§ Mr. Tinkerasked the Minister of Fuel and Power the number of persons employed at the collieries where he has taken over either by transferring the shares to his nominees or putting in authorised controllers; and what financial arrangements have been made with the owners of such collieries?
Major Lloyd GeorgeAs I informed my hon. Friend, the Member for Plaistow (Mr. Thorne) on 19th January, the amount payable to the former shareholders of the Clifton Colliery, the only undertaking whose shares have been transferred to my nominees, is to be assessed by the Treasury. Six other undertakings at which authorised controllers have been appointed, under Defence Regulation 55, remain responsible for their own financial affairs. If an undertaking is unable, however, out of its own resources to carry out instructions as to production, arrangements are available for assistance to be given out of the coal charges account. The total number of employees in the seven undertakings referred to is 10,957.