asked the Secretary of State for Energy what steps he is taking to encourage companies to convert their heating systems to coal from other fuels.

Present price relativities provide strong incentives for firms to examine their patterns of fuel use and, in particular, the merits of substituting coal for fuel oil in industrial bulk heating. Government pricing policy is designed to ensure that consumers receive accurate signals about the costs of supplying the individual fuels on a continuing basis. The Government are also supporting a programme of demonstration projects which includes improvement in coal combustion.