Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if the Government will take steps to ensure a future for the Monckton coke plant in Barnsley.

The proposed closure of Monckton coke plant, is a commercial decision for the company taken against a backdrop of challenging conditions in international coke markets. I realise this is a difficult time for the employees concerned, their families and the communities in which they live.

With regard to the purchasing of product from Monckton, the Department of Energy and Climate Change, who have responsibility for the former British Coal Concessionary Fuel Scheme, will continue to encourage their contractors to purchase product from Monckton as long as supplies of an acceptable quality are available