HC Deb 15 May 1978 vol 950 c24W
Mr. Skeet

asked the Secretary of State for Energy, in the light of the fact that the domestic market for coal is expected to fall to about 3 million tons, Energy Commission Paper No. 5 Chart 20, by 2000 AD, what consultations he has had with merchants and the trade associations involved over future planning.

Mr. Eadie

My right hon. Friend has had no such consultations. The consultative document on energy policy, Cmnd. 7101, explains—Annex 1, paragraph 2—that forecasts such as that quoted are subject to a considerable range of uncertainty. The introduction to the document states the Government's intention of allowing the widest possible range of interests to contribute to the development of energy policy. I should be glad to receive any views the coal trade wishes to express.

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