ANNIVERSARY OF THE START OF THE 1984-85 MINERS' STRIKE

That this House remembers the start of the miners' strike in March 1984 when five pits were announced for closure as part of the Government's restructuring of the coal industry; acknowledges the hardship and struggle endured by the miners and their families who faced losing their livelihoods; notes that the decline of the British coal industry had a devastating impact on mining communities, including those of the West Fife villages, in particular the closure of the Valleyfield Pit which made almost 1,000 workers redundant; recognises, on International's Women's Day, the particular impact on women in mining communities who were often at the heart of supporting their families and communities under very strained circumstances; further recognises the bravery of the striking miners across the UK and the maltreatment many of them were reportedly subjected to such, as those at Orgreave in the summer of 1984; and calls on the Government to reconsider launching an inquiry into the events at Orgreave to ensure that those responsible of any malpractice are held to account for their actions.