§ 18. Mr. Croninasked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on his policy with regard to the coal industry having regard to the miners' recent attitude to the Government's pay policy.
§ Mr. BennYes. I believe that the future energy needs of Britain depend very largely on coal and those highly skilled workers and managers who work in the industry.
§ 19. Mr. Tebbitasked the Secretary of State for Energy if he is satisfied that there is currently a fair and proper reward for the investment of public money in the coal mining industry.
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§ Mr. EadieYes. Investment under "Plan for Coal" is needed to overcome the legacy of the low level of investment in the 1960s and to provide production capacity for the future when it will be vital to the nation's energy needs. An example of the benefits which will accrue is the new mine at Royston, where productivity is now over four times the national average.
§ 24. Mr. Tim Rentonasked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he is satisfied with current levels of productivity in British coal mines.
§ Mr. EadieNo. The Government, National Coal Board and the unions recognised the need for a significant improvement in productivity in the coal industry examination in 1974. The problem remains with us. That is why we have welcomed the statement issued by the President, Secretary and Vice-President of the National Union of Mineworkers stressing the importance of an increase in coal production.
§ 28. Mr. Rostasked the Secretary of State for Energy what discussions he has had with the National Coal Board on productivity.
§ Mr. EadieProductivity within the coal industry has been a constant concern of my Department, the National Coal Board and the mining unions, as witness the Reports of the Tripartite Committee and, for example, the very recent statement issued by the three national officers of the National Union of Mineworkers. It features prominently in virtually every discussion we have, jointly or severally.
§ Mr. Rostasked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will publish a regional analysis of productivity trends in the coal mining industry.
§ Mr. EadieInformation on productivity in the areas of the National Coal Board is contained in the Board's Statistical Tables, published annually, copies of which are in the House of Commons Library.
§ Mr. Rostasked the Secretary of State for Energy what studies he has undertaken to analyse the reasons for the decline in productivity in the coal industry.
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§ Mr. EadieThe coal industry examination investigated the various constraints on production. Productivity was again considered in the review last year of progress with "Plan for Coal", the results of which were published in "Coal for the Future".
§ Mr. Rostasked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will publish a report on the relative importance of lack of incentive, absenteeism, shortage of manpower, mechanical failures, inadequate capital investment, geological problems, or any other contributory causes of the declining trend in coal mining productivity.
§ Mr. EadieOver the years these matters have been discussed exhaustively by all those concerned. For example, a special sub-group of the tripartite meeting took a particular interest in the subject. But I understand that while all the elements mentioned by the hon. Member appear to play their part at one place or another, there is no means of assessing precisely what relative overall importance to attach to each of them.