§ Mr. Sillarsasked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the manpower in the mining industry today compared with the same period in the last three years; and what is the number of pits now operating compared to the last three years.
§ Mr. EadieFigures of the number of National Coal Board wage-earners on colliery books are published monthly by my Department in Table 6 of the statistical bulletin "Energy Trends". The latest published figures together with corresponding figures for previous years are:
Total (Thousands) Under-ground End-September— 1974 246 193 1973 252 199 1972 268 210 1971 283 220 The number of National Coal Board mines in operation at end-September 1974 was 251. Corresponding figures for previous years were:
End-September— 1973 266 1972 284 1971 290