Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Mines and Quarries Act 1969 for securing disused coal tips in England and Wales.

The Welsh Government has asked the Law Commission to evaluate current legislation relating to coal tip safety with a view to identifying gaps, inconsistencies and approaches which are unhelpful or have become outdated. It will identify options for alternative regulatory models appropriate for adoption in Wales, and consider the features needed to ensure that any proposed system is effective. The project is expected to take between 13 and 15 months.

The majority of Tips in England are lower risk as the topography is flatter in England and more have been economically restored/developed as they are more suitable for that and there has been more economic drivers. Following the Tylorstown slip in Wales local authorities in England were asked to check any tips they owned and report any concerns. No concerns were reported.