§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Energy how many colleries in the Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire areas are likely to reach exhaustion by 1990 in his calculation for the plan for coal; and what is their aggregate current ouput.
§ Mr. EadieI am asking the Chairman of the National Coal Board to write to the hon. Member. There will undoubtedly he losses of productive capacity between now and the end of the century due to the exhaustion of economically workable reserves. However, the future policy for and timing of colliery closures in Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire as elsewhere is fully discussed with the mining unions within the Colliery Review Procedure. There is, therefore, no programme of colliery closures, and the proposed production from the North-East Leicestershire coalfield is not designed to provide specific and equivalent replacement for identified collieries.
§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Energy what percent of the 558W National Coal Board total coal reserves are currently being worked.