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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 18 May 2022 to Question 165 on Coal Authority: Climate Change, if he will make it his policy to revise the duties of the Coal Authority in respect of licensing, as set out in the Coal Industry Act 1994, to act in accordance with the UK’s obligations under international climate treaties, including the (a) Paris Agreement and (b) Glasgow Climate Pact.

The Government is committed to phasing out coal from electricity generation by 2024. Demand for new coal licences has fallen away as a consequence, and there are only a small number of potential coal projects that could result in new coal mining, and only with the consent of the relevant planning authorities.

The Government keeps the Coal Authority’s duties under review, but in view of the low demand for new coal extraction projects, there are currently no plans to revise the duties with respect to licensing coal extraction.