§ Miss Colmanasked the Minister of Fuel and Power the total number of ponies employed in coalmines in Great Britain; the number employed in the Durham and Northumberland coalfields in Scotland and in Lancashire; and the 61W reasons for any disparity in the proportion of ponies employed to output in these coalfields.
§ Mr. GaitskellThe total number of horses employed underground at coal mines in Great Britain at 30th June, 1947, the latest date for which figures are available, was 21,013. The number employed in the Durham coalfield was 7,747, in Northumberland 2,691, in Scotland 246 and in Lancashire 7. The disparity in the proportion of horses employed in relation to the coal output of these coalfields is due to the differences in methods of working.