§ Mr. Stanleyasked the Secretary of State for Energy how many people were employed by the National Coal Board at the time of nationalisation; and how many are employed now.
§ Mr. EadieDuring the first year of nationalisation, an average of 703,900 were employed at collieries compared with 247,708 in September 1975.
The earliest date for which a figure of the total employed is available is for September 1948, when 776,600 were employed. This excludes people then employed on farms and road transport and in ships but includes people employed on activities—for example, coke manufacture—which are now undertaken by subsidiary companies of the Board. In September 1975 the total employed by the Board itself—not including those employed by subsidiary companies—was 301,900.