WOMEN'S PROTEST, TRENTHAM COLLIERY, STOKE-ON-TRENT

EDM number 2037 in 1992-93, proposed by George Stevenson on 19/05/1993.

That this House congratulates Bridget Bell, Gina Earle and Brenda Proctor and all who supported them in their peaceful protest at Shaft No. 1, Trentham Colliery, from 2.30 a.m., Wednesday, 12th May to 11 a.m. , Saturday, 15th May, in the most appalling circumstances and bitterly cold weather; applauds their extraordinary courage and determination to draw the nation's attention to the failure of Her Majesty's Government to introduce a coherent energy policy which safeguards coal reserves at all 31 pits including Trentham Colliery; deplores British Coal's belligerence for its refusal to comply with sections 79 and 80 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and allowing the three Trentham women to be in circumstances prejudicial to health without medical aid, water, food and sanitary equipment; demands to know on whose authority the barbed wire barricade was erected around Shaft No. 1; and calls on Her Majesty's Government and the President of the Board of Trade to immediately require British Coal not to reach a final decision on the closure of any of the 10 collieries nor make available funds which would enable British Coal to reach such a decision, until a procedure substantially to the same effect as the modified colliery review procedure, including some form of independent scrutiny, has been followed in relation to each of the collieries.

This motion has been signed by a total of 42 MPs.