asked the Minister of Power how many collieries were closed between 25th November, 1965, and the latest convenient date; and how many are likely to be closed in the next two years and five years, respectively.

In the Second Reading Debate on the Coal Industry Bill on 25th November last year, I made a full statement on the scale and pace of closures envisaged by the Coal Board, supported by the Government. Between then and the 28th February, 1966, 20 collieries were closed. The National Coal Board expect to close between 80 and 90 more collieries by the end of March, 1968, and about another 100 in the three years to March, 1971.