§ Mr. TippingTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what discussions he has had with the chairman of British Coal about those collieries which are market testing; how long this period of market testing will last; and what discussions there have been about the closure of any of those collieries.
§ Mr. EggarDecisions about the future of individual collieries are a matter for British Coal. No deadline for the period of market testing has been set. Completion of the process will depend on the progress of commercial negotiations between British Coal and electricity generators over additional sales of coal.