PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
MARKET FOR BRITISH COAL (9 February 1993)

That this House notes the First Report from the Trade and Industry Committee British Energy Policy and the Market for Coal (HC 1992-93) 237; concludes that many of its recommendations would provide opportunities for a larger market for coal beyond that which it proposes for price support; and therefore calls on the President of the Board of Trade to drop his closure plans, return the 10 pits to work, and accept the Committee's recommendations to enlarge the market, namely, by the retention of the IMW franchise boundary until 1998, displacement of imported coal or oil through subsidies, removing the non-leviable status of electricity imported from France and possibly restricting base load supplies, requiring flue gas desulphurisation for stations burning Orimulsion, restricting CCGT's from operating permanently on baseload, increasing stock levels held by the generators, making a consequential increase in sales to non-generation markets as a result of larger sales to the generators making it possible to keep open more pits and reduction of opencast output.

Sponsored by:
Paddy Tipping (Labour)