asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what steps are being taken by way of research to provide conveyor belts in coal mines that will not generate excessive heat through friction and be less liable to cause fire.

The National Coal Board, my Department, and the manufacturers of conveyor belts are working closely together in an attempt to develop fire-resistant types. Several experimental belts are already in use in Yorkshire pits. Urgent research is also being done on the means by which the over-heating of existing types of belts can be detected and dealt with before a fire breaks out.