§ Mr. Masonasked the Secretary of State for Energy (1) what contracts are still outstanding on the importation of coal; for how long these contracts will continue; and if he will list the countries concerned;
(2) whether negotiations are currently taking place to establish fresh coal import contracts; to what extent his Department is involved; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Giles ShawThe negotiation of contracts for purchasing coal, whether from home or abroad, is a commercial matter for the industries concerned. My Department is not involved and is not in a position to provide the information requested on individual contracts.
§ Mr. Masonasked the Secretary of State for Energy what discussion he has had within the European Community and the European Coal and Steel Community on halting the imports of third country coal and expanding the sales of British coal within the Community; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Giles ShawOver the past two years there have been discussions at a number of Councils of Energy Ministers on the role of solid fuels in Community energy strategy. The United Kingdom has been pressing for the adoption of Commission proposals for Community support for viable investment in coal production. If agreed this could help to reduce the growth of Community coal imports from third countries. The NCB is currently exporting between 5 and 6 million tonnes of coal per year 399W to other Community countries. The future level of these export sales will depend primarily on the progress which the coal industry makes in controlling costs and increasing competitiveness.
Our Community partners are not prepared to import coal at more than market price and look to low-cost producers such as Australia and the USA as their main sources of overseas supply.
§ Mr. Masonasked the Secretary of State for Energy what tonnage of South African coal is currently imported; and for what purpose.
§ Mr. Giles ShawIn the first nine months of 1983 the United Kingdom imported 26,000 tonnes of coal from South Africa, mostly anthracite for household use. The NCB produced 1 million tonnes of anthracite in the same period but this was insufficient to meet home demand in full.
§ Mr. Masonasked the Secretary of State for Energy what tonnage of Polish coal is currently being imported; and for what purpose.
§ Mr. Giles ShawDuring the first nine months of this year 266,000 tonnes of coal were imported into the United Kingdom from Poland, mostly for conversion to coke for use in the steel industry. The NCB supplied 3 million tonnes of coal to the BSC in the same period but has insufficient economically workable reserves of the particular types of coking coal required to supply all the Corporation's requirements for modern blast furnaces.
§ Mr. Masonasked the Secretary of State for Energy what imports of coal into the United Kingdom are subsidised; what tonnages and from what source.
§ Mr. ShawAbout 20 per cent. of United Kingdom coal imports in the first nine months of 1983 came from countries which subsidise their coal industries to varying degrees:
Thousand tonnes Western Europe France 7 Belgium 45 Federal Republic of Germany 395 Eastern Europe Poland 266 German Democratic Republic 12 USSR 16 In total these imports were equivalent to less than one per cent. of United Kingdom coal consumption.
§ Mr. Masonasked the Secretary of State for Energy what annual tonnage of coal is being consumed by district heating techniques in industrial buildings.
§ Mr. ShawThe National Coal Board estimates that the amount of coal consumed annually for industrial combined heat and power purposes is about 3 million tonnes.