§ Mr. Skinnerasked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the average cost per tonne of coal production in the following countries: Belgium, France, West Germany and the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. Giles ShawThe latest published estimates of average coal production costs in the countries listed were given in the NCB's annual report for 1981–82 and relate to 1981:
614W
£/tonne Belgium 61 France 45 Federal Republic of Germany 47 United Kingdom (1981–82) 41 The lower figure for United Kingdom production costs reflects the relatively high level of capital investment in the United Kingdom coal industry. The European Commission has estimated that in 1982 coal production investment in the United Kingdom was 2.5 times the level in the Federal Republic of Germany, 18 times the level in France and 26 times the level in Belgium.