§ Earl Russellasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they are able to estimate the effect of the recently announced programme of pit closures on the Public Sector Borrowing Requirement, in terms of:
- (a) redundancy and related payments
- (b) increased spending on social security benefits
- (c) loss of revenue from income tax and national insurance contributions
- (d) the "ripple effect" of unemployment in neighbouring related industries.
The Minister of State, Department of Transport (The Earl of Caithness)Given the uncertainties at this stage, it is not possible to calculate the effect.