asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will make a statement on the effects of the miners' strike upon the external financing limits of the nationalised industries.

The National Coal Board, electricity supply industries, British Rail and the British Steel Corporation are expected to exceed their external financing limits for 1984–85 as a direct result of the coal strike. No change in external financing limits for these industries is proposed to accommodate this developmemt, but, in the exceptional circumstances, the Government accepts that overshoots directly attributable to the coal strike which cannot be offset through savings by the industries concerned should be a charge on public expenditure in 1984–85. Provisional EFL outturn figures for all industries will be published later this year in the cash limits 1984–85 provisional outturn White Paper. Estimated strike costs have been taken into account in the 1984–85 public expenditure planning total outturn shown in the Financial Statement and Budget Report.