Coalfield Communities

Lord Mason of Barnsley
asked Her Majesty's Government:What steps they have taken to regenerate the coalfield communities; at what cost; and what further measures are in hand to complete this task. [HL1068]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Lord Whitty)
On 1 December 1998 at the Coalfield Conference in Peterlee, County Durham, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a ten year programme to regenerate coalfield communities with an investment package of £354 million over three years. A fuller breakdown of this investment and the further steps to be taken are set out in Making the Difference—A New Start for England's Coalfield Communities: The Government's Response to the Coalfield Task Force Report. Copies of this document have been placed in the Library of the House.