asked the Minister of Power what research and development projects he has initiated to improve the efficiency of power stations as users of natural gas for electricity generation.

None, Sir. The technology is already known, but the electricity supply authorities have work in hand on particular aspects.

Has not the recent boom in natural gas indicated the enormous urgency of developing some sort of research programme, particularly in the light of the possible rundown of coal supplies?

At the risk of becoming tedious, I must make the point again. It is an important matter. All the evidence is that there is a future in this country for a large coal mining industry as the biggest supplier of primary fuel and probably the biggest coal mining industry in Europe. When talking of rundown, this is a very relative thing. As regards research and development in this particular field, the technology is already well known.