asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the National Coal Board has increased its productivity by the amount considered possible in the 1967 fuel policy White Paper.

The 1967 White Paper on Fuel Policy reported that the N.C.B. considered that an increase of about a third should be technically possible by 1970–71. It also referred to the difficulties involved in achieving such an increase. The current annual rate of output per man shift is about a fifth higher than the rate in 1966–67 and the N.C.B. hope for some further rise before the end of their financial year.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the actual rate at the nearest convenient date of output per manshift in the mining industry; and how this compares with the figures forecast of a rise of 10 per cent. per year from 1966–67.

43·6 cwt. a man-shift overall in the first seven months of 1970–71. The average annual increase between 1966–67 and 1969–70 was 6 per cent.