asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the expected output of coal in the United Kingdom in 1976; and how this compares with the years 1972 to 1975, inclusive.

Figures of coal production are published in Tables 17 to 19 of the "Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics 1976", copies of which are available in the Library of the House. For convenience, the figures are given below:

TOTAL COAL PRODUCTION—GREAT BRITAIN
	Million Tons
1972	119·9
1973	129·9
1974	108·7
1975	126·6

Total coal output in the first 11 months of 1976 was 110·5 million tons. If the present trend continues, output for this year is expected to be around 120 million tons.