Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when he last met the Coal Authority to discuss the potential development of a deep Underground Coal Gasification sector in the UK.

I last met with the Coal Authority on 6^th January 2015 as part of its core role and strategy in managing c£1bn of environmental and safety liabilities associated with coal mining. The Coal Authority’s role in relation to Underground Coal Gasification is the granting of licenses to access coal reserves for potential exploitation. They are a member of the Department’s Working Group on UCG which is examining licensing policy in this area.