asked the Secretary of State for Energy what proportion of United Kingdom coal will be covered by the Commission's proposals for a minimum safeguard price.

A substantial proportion of existing United Kingdom coal output that is directly in competition with oil costs more than the equivalent of $7 a barrel to produce. But many factors other than price affect demand for coal. Moreover we do not have enough details of how the Commission's proposals might be applied to be able to make an accurate estimate. However the main aim of an MSP for oil would be to protect new investment in any field of the Community's energy resources.