NORTHERN IRELAND ELECTRICITY - SOUTH AFRICAN COAL IMPORTS

That this House condemns the recent purchase by the Northern Ireland Electricity Board of 27,000 tonnes of coal from South Africa; notes that this is the first such purchase by a United Kingdom generating company in the past 20 years; and further deeply deplores the decision against the background of the fact that the average wage paid to black South African miners is a disgraceful one-fifth of that paid to South African white miners; notes also that it is the price of South African coal determined by its dependence on apartheid and exploitation which leads to the practice of dumping by other coal exporters from Australia, Columbia and elsewhere; and fully supports the terms of the formal complaint made by British Coal to the European Commission.