Coal Industry (Hansard, 14 June 1994)

Mr. O'Neill
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list those organisations which have submitted applications to pre-qualify for the purchase of British Coal mining activities in respect of each regional coal company and for each care and maintenance colliery.

§ Mr. Eggar
No. The identities of the parties which have submitted pre-qualification applications are commercially confidential.

Mr. O'Neill
To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many management and employee buy-out teams have applied for financial assistance during the sale of British Coal to prepare bids for purchase of(a) all five regional 425W coal companies, (b) each regional coal company, (c) each care and maintenance colliery and (d) each British Coal non-mining business.

§ Mr. Eggar
A number of MEBO teams have applied to the Department for financial assistance when preparing bids for(a) to (c) above and several offers have been made. However, details of these applications are commercially confidential. British Coal operates a similar scheme for MEBOs bidding for their non-mining businesses on which general offers will be invited and details of these applications are also commercially confidential.

§ Mr. Tipping
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list each company which has pre-registered an interest in buying any of the five regional packages of British Coal.

§ Mr. Eggar
No. The identities of the parties who have submitted pre-qualification applications are commercially confidential.

§ Mr. Tipping
To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many individual companies have pre-registered an interest in buying(a) one, (b) two, (c) three, (d) four or (e) five regional packages of British Coal.

§ Mr. Eggar
The detail of pre-qualification applications is commercially confidential.

§ Mr. Tipping
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list each company which has registered an interest to buy(a) one, (b) two, (c) three, (d) four or (e) five regional packages of British Coal.

§ Mr. Eggar
No. The identities of the parties which have submitted pre-qualification applications are commercially confidential.

§ Mr. Tipping
To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many companies have pre-registered an interest in buying any of the five regional packages of British Coal.

§ Mr. Eggar
We have received 34 applications to pre-qualify for the sale of the five regional coal companies and the care and maintenance collieries.