§ Mr. Crowtherasked the Secretary of State for Energy what proportion of the levies paid to the European Coal and Steel Community in respect of United Kingdom coal production in 1980 was related to coal produced by opencast methods.
§ Mr. David HowellAbout 11.5 per cent.
§ Mr. Crowtherasked the Secretary of State for Energy what quantities of coal were mined by opencast methods in each of the last five years.
§ Mr. David HowellDuring the past five years opencast coal production has been as follows:272W
Million Tonnes 1976–77 11.4 1977–78 13.6 1978–79 13.5 1979–80 13.0 1980–81 15.3 These figures exclude a small amount of coal mined by opencast methods and sold privately under royalty agreements between the National Coal Board and private contractors.