§ Mr. Nellistasked the Secretary of State for Energy (1) what are his estimates of the total cost to the National Coal Board of the proposed accelerated pit closure programme for (a) redundancy payments, (b) write-off of buildings, plant and machinery and (c) transfer payments (i) for the first 12 months, (ii) for the next five years and (iii) for the next 10 years; and if he will make a statement;
(2) if he will estimate the cost to central Government of the current proposal by the National Coal Board to accelerate pit closures (a) for the first 12 months, (b) for the next five years and (c) for the next 10 years, in terms of (i) unemployment benefit, (ii) loss of national insurance contribution, (iii) loss of income tax, (iv) rent and rate rebates and (v) redundancy payments; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Giles ShawAt a meeting of the Coal Industry National Consultative Council on 6 March 1984, the National Coal Board announced a budget for deep mine production of 97.4 million tonnes in 1984–85. It has estimated that this modest reduction of approximately 4 per cent. in planned output might involve a corresponding reduction of some 20,000 in mining manpower, broadly similar to that in 1983–84, and again the board hopes to achieve this without compulsory redundancies amongst176W the men wishing to stay in the industry. To describe this as the announcement of an "accelerated pit closure programme" is unwarranted.
As the House was told during the debate on the two coal orders on 28 March, there is no formula which can be used to derive the sorts of detailed cost estimates that the hon. Member is seeking. There can be no doubt, however, as to the revenue benefits to the board which will flow from this attempt to bring production more into line with demand, or to the longer term benefits to the country as a whole of getting the industry back on the road to financial viability.