§ Lord Sefton of Garstonasked Her Majesty's Government:
What were the costs of subsidence in the coal industry in 1983 and 1984 and whether those costs were dealt with as an overhead for the industry as a whole or as a cost on individual pits.
§ The Minister of State, Scottish Office (Lord Gray of Contin)The costs of subsidence in the NCB's accounts for 1982–83 and 1983–84 were £132m and £245m respectively. These subsidence costs were included in the operating costs of each individual pit.