§ Mr. DoverTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what was(a) the contribution to British Coal from privately operated opencast sites and (b) the subsidy to British Coal from the Exchequer for the latest year for which both figures are available.
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§ Mr. Eggar[holding answer 24 March 1993]: The contribution to British Coal from private sector licensed opencast sites is not recorded separately in their accounts. However, the total royalties receivable from licensed opencast sites and deep mines amounted to £14 million in 1991–92. The corporation's opencast sites are operated by private sector contractors and generated an operating profit of £171 million in that year. Government grant income credited to the corporation's accounts in that year was £457 million.