§ Lord Mason of Barnsleyasked Her Majesty's Government:
What were the numbers of mineworkers working in the coal mining industry in each year since 1945 and the figure to the current date.
§ Viscount UllswaterInformation is not available on a continuous basis to the level of detail requested. The estimates up to 1968 cover all industries in mining. Estimates from 1971 cover deep coal mines, opencast 57WA coal mines and manufacture of solid fuels. The available information, which covers all occupations, is shown in the tables below.
58WA
Employees in employment, Great Britain Mining and quarrying1 Thousands 1945 2— 1946 2— 1947 2— 1948 874.9 1949 875.4 1950 852.6 1951 855.7 1952 872.4 1953 876.6 1954 867.6 1955 862.9 1956 858.6 1957 869.5 1958 856.3 1959 830.8 1960 766.0 1961 733.4 1962 711.0 1963 682.4 1964 656.8 1965 624.5 1966 574.2 1967 550.5 1968 484.9 1969 2— 1970 2— 1 Figures for the years 1948–1958 are based on the Standard Industrial Classification 1948. Figures from 1959–1968 are based on the Standard Industrial Classification 1958.
2 Figures not available.
— Break in series. Figures from 1964 onwards are on a revised basis of calculation and are not strictly comparable with earlier dates. Figures from 1966 onwards take account of changes in industrial classifications.
Employees in Employment Great Britain Extraction and Solid Fuels (Group 111) 1 Coal Year Thousands 1971 360.6 1972 344.1 1973 329.8 1974 313.4 1975 317.1 1976 310.8 1977 311.6 1978 307.5 1979 299.4 1980 298.1 1981 285.5 1982 271.3 1983 256.8 1984 234.2 1985 216.5 1986 177.4 1987 144.9 1988 120.5 1989 103.1 1990 90.6 1991 82.1 1 Estimates from 1971 to date are based on the Standard Industrial Classification 1980 (SIC 80).