§ Mr. Gordon Brownasked the Secretary of State for Energy how many jobs have been lost in the coal industry since January 1984 in (a) Scotland and (b) Great Britain; and how many jobs he expects to be lost in the next three years.
§ Mr. David HuntI understand from the National Coal Board that the number of men on colliery books on 7 Janauary 1984 was 13,436 in Scotland and 186,164 in Great Britain. On 18 May 1985 the numbers were 9,705 and 168,416 respectively. I can make no estimate of future numbers, which will depend on a number of factors.