§ Mr. Peter Bruinvelsasked the Secretary of State for Energy how many miners have now returned to work since the miners' dispute began; and what is that figure as a percentage of the numbers employed in the mining industry.
§ Mr. David Hunt:I understand from the National Coal Board that since the start of the dispute over 36,000 ex-strikers have returned to work. There are now over 82,000 NUM members not on strike, which is 44 per cent. of the 187,300 NUM members employed in the industry.
§ Mr. Peter Bruinvelsasked the Secretary of State for Energy how many pits are now operating; what is their combined output of coal per day; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. David Hunt:I understand from the National Coal Board that 79 pits are now producing coal. Only 11 of the board's 174 pits have no men working at all. The latest published figures show that in November deep-mined production was 2.3 million tonnes.