§ Mr. Michael Brownasked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the present level of subsidy, grants and other payments from public funds to the National Coal Board.
§ Mr. John Moore[pursuant to his reply, 13 December 1979, c. 743]: I had made provision in my Department's Estimate for the cost of an additional contribution by the Government to the pneumoconiosis compensation scheme. Since this payment is subject to the passage of the Coal Industry Bill which is now unlikely to receive Royal Assent before the House votes on the Estimate and the Consolidated Fund Bill, I have withdrawn this provision by a Revised Estimate to be published shortly and will seek Parliament's authority for this expenditure in a Supplementary Estimate later in the year.
Meanwhile, my Department's cash limit on Class IV, Vote 9 is being reduced to £226,921,000. The remaining reduction of £4,407,000 results from the re-phasing of the Government's payments of deficit grant to the NCB.