(1) Whether his department has had discussions with diversified mining company Glencore prior to or since receiving notice that it is considering closure of some of its coal mining operations in South Africa, which would reduce its overall South African production by at least five million saleable tons of coal a year and affect more than 1 000 employees; if so, what are the relevant details; Friday, 13 March 2015 226 INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: NATIONAL ASSEMBLY NO 7 - 2015 (2) do operations like Optimum Coal Mine have departmental interaction or assistance in exploring options and putting in place support services for affected employees and their families; if so, what are the relevant details?