HC Deb 16 November 1967 vol 754 cc198-200W
Mr. Leo Abse

asked the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what new action is being taken in view of the National Coal Board's intention to accelerate pit closures to revise the conclusions of Command Paper No. 3334, Wales: The Way Ahead, relating to the numbers of jobs required to be created to prevent unemployment among miners in Wales;

(2) upon what estimate of men likely to be employed in the Welsh mining in- dustry the projections were made in paragraphs 99 and 100 of Command Paper No. 3334, Wales: The Way Ahead.

Mrs. White

In "Wales: The Way Ahead" the Government allowed for a reduction in coal mining employment of 20,000 by 1971 and no revision is needed. The Government recognised the need for substantial new employment opportunities to be provided in and near the mining valleys, and the measures taken by it since the White Paper was published are designed to meet this need.