Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the responsibilities of the Mining Remediation Authority, (a) how many claims relating to abandoned metal mines have been received by the Authority in each year since 2020, broken down by county, (b) how many such claims related to former tin mining areas in Cornwall and Devon, and (c) how those figures compare with the number of claims relating to former coal mining areas over the same period.

The Mining Remediation Authority exists primarily to manage the legacy of Great Britain's coal mining past, and its statutory responsibilities remain focused on former coal mining activities, and as such the MRA does not hold data on metal mines.

The MRA’ provides technical advice, when requested, on hazards associated with historic metal mining, as part of its role as a 24/7 emergency response organisation and a Category 2 responder under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004.

Between 1 April 2020 and 31 March 2026, the Mining Remediation Authority responded to 4,802 incidents and claims across Great Britain. Of these, 1,785 cases were determined to be attributable to former coal mining activities.