HATFIELD COLLIERY PARTNERSHIP

That this House notes that Hatfield Colliery Partnership is now the last deep mine coal mine in the UK not to have announced its closure; further notes that Hatfield, with at least 40 years of reserves of coal, is proud to be the thirtieth largest employee-owned business in the UK; congratulates the National Union of Mineworkers in providing a £4 million bridging loan to the mine to secure a development which will secure 438 jobs until 2016; applauds the determination of the mine to continue in business to supply British coal to the UK's first clean coal power station, due to be completed at Drax in 2020, with over £250 million of public subsidy funding a pipeline to take emissions to the North Sea; recognises that in order to invest in future coal faces Hatfield will need premium contracts from the coal fired power station generators above current world prices which are at a historic low and that most imported coal comes from Colombia and Russia with vastly inferior labour and environmental standards; urges EDF, E.ON, Drax and Scottish and Southern to enter negotiations with Hatfield Colliery to agree such contracts which would be a hedge against future price movements and a demonstration of their corporate social responsibility; and requests the Government to facilitate such negotiations.