§ Mr. Masonasked the Minister of Power if he will issue a general direction to the National Coal Board to restore to its former agricultural use land which has been used for the stocking of opencast and other coals.
§ Mr. WoodNo. Land used for stocking coal is subject to planning legislation in the ordinary way, and the imposition of suitable conditions about restoration is the responsibility of the local planning authorities.
§ Mr. Masonasked the Minister of Power, how much opencast-mined coal is at present stock-piled.
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§ Mr. Masonasked the Minister of Power if he will issue a general direction to the National Coal Board to tidy up the districts despoiled through opencast coal mining, especially where rural beauty, dams and belts of trees have been ruined.
§ Mr. WoodNo. The Board co-operates wholeheartedly in giving effect to the deemed planning conditions which I have imposed. These provide for restoration, including where appropriate the replanting of trees.
§ Mr. Masonasked the Minister of Power to what extent the Council for the Preservation of Rural England are consulted, and their objections noted, when he is asked to authorise new sites for opencast coal mining operations.
§ Mr. WoodThe National Coal Board has to give public notice of its intention to apply for an authorisation to work opencast coal. Any representations made by the Council would be carefully considered. I have not received any such representations about the sites I have recently authorised.
§ Mr. Masonasked the Minister of Power how many opencast sites at present being worked in Yorkshire are producing anthracite coal; and to what extent the recent survey over the Yorkshire coalfield has revealed anthracite seams near enough to the surface to be mined by opencast methods.
§ Mr. WoodI am told by the National Coal Board that the answer to both parts of the Question is "none".
§ Mr. Masonasked the Minister of Power how many opencast sites are being worked in the country; and if he will list the Yorkshire sites.
§ Mr. WoodThe National Coal Board tells me it was producing coal from 40 opencast sites on 31st March, 1962, including the following in Yorkshire: Coney Warren, The Springs Zone, Hungate Zone, Oxbow, Craven II, Mill Moor, Melton.
§ Mr. Masonasked the Minister of Power what is the present output of opencast coal from the Yorkshire sites; and what 105W percentages this represents of the national opencast output and of all opencast and deep-mined coal.
§ Mr. WoodIn the first four months of 1962 coal output from opencast sites in Yorkshire averaged 21,000 tons a week. This was 13 per cent. of total opencast output and one half of one per cent. of total coal output, including deep-mines.
§ Mr. Masonasked the Minister of Power what requests he has now received for authorisations to open or extend opencast coal mining sites in Yorkshire.
§ Mr. Masonasked the Minister of Power how many opencast coalmining sites are producing anthracite coal; where they are situated; and what is their total annual output.
§ Mr. WoodThe National Coal Board tells me it was producing anthracite from two sites in Glamorganshire and one in Brecknockshire on 31st March, 1962. The sites worked by the Board in 1961 produced 736,000 tons of anthracite in that year.
§ Mr. Masonasked the Minister of Power to what extent it has been the policy of his Department to confirm compulsory orders for the working of coal by opencast methods; to what extent this is still the practice on certain occasions; and if he will now give an assurance that no site will be so authorised by him unless it is with the consent of all concerned.
§ Mr. WoodI have had no applications or the confirmation of compulsory rights orders for sites authorised under the Opencast Coal Act. I should consider on their merits any applications that were made to me and I could not give the undertaking the hon. Member suggests.
§ Mr. Masonasked the Minister of Power what coals, other than anthracite, are in short supply and can only be supplemented by opencast coalmining.
§ Mr. WoodThe balance of supply and demand for particular coals is continually changing, but after allowing for supplies from opencast production there are no coals at present in generally106W short supply. In certain areas, there are potential shortages of particular coals which can most economically be met by opecast production, and new sites may for example be needed for coking coal in South Wales.