§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he is now in a position to publish the total imports in 1993 of(a) house coal and (b) industrial coal; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. EggarThe amount of coal imported during 1993 was as follows:
Thousand tonnes Industrial coal 2,028 Domestic coal 628 Following the introduction of the "Intrastat" system for collecting data on trade with our EC partners, the figures involve some estimation of unrecorded imports. They are, therefore, likely to be subject to greater subsequent revision than figures collected on the previous basis.
§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what action his Department has taken to prevent the importation of coal from countries who use child labour slavery or labour exploitation to mine such coal.
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§ Mr. EggarAs a general rule, there are severe practical difficulties in identifying goods, allegedly produced using child labour or exploited labour, given the complexities of international trade. Also, it is highly doubtful whether the social conditions that give rise to such practices can be improved by restricting trade.
In the specific case of coal from Colombia, which the hon. Member may have in mind, I recently met Dr. Pretelt, the president of Carbocol, who assured me that Colombian labour law, and mining law, prohibits women and under-18s from going underground, and that no Colombian coal for export is mined by children. The Government call on all states which have ratified international instruments covering slavery, servitude, forced labour or child labour to meet their obligations.
§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will publish for 1993 details of the 10 major importers of coal and the quantities and cost of the coal imported.