§ 50. Sir G. Nabarroasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will state the following statistics for each of the years 1947 to 1971, namely, the annual output of bituminous coal in Great Britain, as an aggregate of deep mined and open cast, the annual fatalities in the coal industry, the annual capital investment, the annual average pithead price of coal per ton, and the annual average manpower; and what is his estimate under each of the above headings for 1972.
§ Mr. Tom Boardman:The information for past years is available in the series of annual publications of energy statistics, the latest of which is the Department of Trade and Industry Digest of Energy Statistics, 1971, or in the reports and accounts of the National Coal Board. Estimates are subject to many uncertainties and, in the light of changing circumstances, are kept under constant review by the National Coal Board and the Department. It would be misleading to select for publications any one set of forecasts.