§ Mr. Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy how many pits have been closed since 1979; and what were the total estimated reserves in them at time of closure.
§ Mr. Michael SpicerFor a list of pit closures for the period concerned I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave to the hon. Member for Rother Valley (Mr. Barron) on 29 November at cols254–55. I have asked the chairman of British Coal to write to the hon. Member about the total estimated reserves in the pits concerned.