Future Of The Last Coal Mine In Derbyshire

EDM number 1019 in 1999-00, proposed by Harry Barnes on 25/07/2000.

That this House is fully aware of the important role small mines, such as the Moorside Mine at Eckington in Derbyshire, play in preserving mining skills, in providing an alternative form of coal production and in their contribution to local economies; is keen to protect the operations of small mines in circumstances where new contracts for the supply of coal are currently being negotiated and prices are being pushed to artificially low levels due to coal imports which are assisted by foreign subsidies and are affected by the strength of sterling; reminds generating companies in particular of the importance of providing contracts which maintain the operations of small mines as part of a healthy diversity in the supply of coal; calls upon the Government to ensure that small mines can quickly and readily tap into the state aid for the coal industry, recognising that small mines tend to be family businesses which cannot sustain their operations once they are pressed into a loss-making situation; and looks to the preservation of the last working coal mine in Derbyshire.

This motion has been signed by a total of 93 MPs.