§ Mr. Edwin Wainwrightasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many tons of coal have been produced and consumed over each of the past four years in the United Kingdom; and what are his estimates for 1973–74 and 1974–75, respectively.
§ Mr. EmeryUnited Kingdom statistics for the past four years are tabulated below:
The National Coal Board expects production to be within the range 130 million to 140 million tons in 1973–74 and 120 million to 130 million tons in 1974–75. Consumption this year is expected to be at a similar level to production but some increase in stocks is expected. At this stage no estimate is available for consumption in 1974–75.
Coal production (million tons) Coal consumption (million tons) 1969–70 150.1 159.1 1970–71 145.1 148.3 1971–72 122.5 126.4 1972–73 140.5 128.1