§ Mr. Andrew MacKayasked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on British Coal's external financing limit for 1986–87.
§ Mr. David HuntBritish Coal's EFL for 1986–87 is to be increased by £95 million to £825 million. Despite vigorous action to save costs, it has not been possible to contain the impact of the weakening in the energy market and of the generally mild weather of recent months. The increase is being charged to the reserve and is within the estimate for the planning total in the public expenditure White Paper. It remains British Coal's objective to break-even by 1988–89.