§ 70 . Mr. Kelleyasked the Minister of Power what changes in the absorption rate forecast of North Sea Gas he estimates to be necessary to halve the rate of those colliery closures arising from this cause; and what estimate he has made of the effects on gas prices of this policy.
§ Mr. FreesonColliery closures are primarily due to exhaustion of reserves and elimination of uneconomic production. They cannot be attributed directly to the introduction of natural gas which should have only a small impact on the level of coal usage in the next few years.