HC Deb 17 February 1986 vol 92 cc30-1W
26. Mr. Neil Hamilton

asked the Secretary of State for Energy when he proposes to implement the June 1983 recommendations of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission that the statutory limit on the operations of licensed opencast coal operators should be increased to 100,000 tonnes.

36. Mr. Portillo

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will introduce legislation to ease or abolish the statutory limits applying to employment in, and production from, privately owned coal mines, and to abolish the royalties on such production.

Mr. David Hunt

I have no plans to introduce such legislation.

29. Sir William van Straubenzee

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on the current level of coal production.

Mr. Peter Walker

Current levels of coal production are better than forecast, with output for 1985–86 expected to exceed 104 million tonnes.

37. Mr. Knox

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the output of coal per manshift at the present time; and how this compares with the output of coal per manshift in April 1979.

Mr. Peter Walker

The latest figures show that productivity reached 3.04 tonnes per man shift in the week ending 25 January 1986. This compares with an average of 2.20 tonnes per man shift for April 1979.

Mr. Jack Thompson

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what information he has as to the average earnings of British coalminers in comparison with coalminers in other EEC countries; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. David Hunt

On the basis of information published by the statistical office of the European Communities on gross hourly earnings in October 1983 in those member states with significant hard coal industries, the National Coal Board has provided the following comparison with earnings in the United Kingdom at the same periods:

£
Federal Republic of Germany 4.52
France 4.62
Belgium 4.18
United Kingdom 4.56
However, such a comparison is inevitably artificial, as it takes no account of a large number of factors including the number of hours worked, and differing tax and social security arrangements in member states.

40. Mr. O'Brien

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what discussions he has had with the National Coal Board about the new definition for measuring the economic future of pits in terms of £1.50 per gigajoule; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. David Hunt

It is for the National Coal Board to determine the target production cost which it believe will supply coal at a price the market will bear. Expressing costs in £/gigajoule takes account of variations in the calorific content and therefore the value of coal.