, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Restoration of opencast mining sites - evidence session 6
And are these minutes published?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Restoration of opencast mining sites - evidence session 6
And are there any decisions coming from those meetings?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Restoration of opencast mining sites - evidence session 6
And how often does it meet?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Restoration of opencast mining sites - evidence session 6
In its letter to the Welsh Government in October 2023 expressing concerns at MTCBCs preparedness for site closure, the Coal Authority highlighted the urgent need for an incident response team to manage the site’s closure, public safety management and safe…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Restoration of opencast mining sites - evidence session 6
Have you yourself engaged with the UK Government?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Restoration of opencast mining sites - evidence session 6
I'm a politician. [Laughter.]
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Restoration of opencast mining sites - evidence session 6
Thank you. Prior to answering this, quite often this is discussed on the floor of the Senedd in the Chamber, and the UK Government gets blamed, and the UK Government say that this is a Welsh Government responsibility and we've had 26 years of devolution. Do…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Restoration of opencast mining sites - evidence session 6
Go on, then.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Restoration of opencast mining sites - evidence session 6
Why?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Restoration of opencast mining sites - evidence session 6
Yes. What is your—? Now, let's see what figure you all come up with. What is your current estimation of the cost to remediate the site?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Restoration of opencast mining sites - evidence session 6
Okay. And then my final question is—
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Restoration of opencast mining sites - evidence session 6
Oh right, okay.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Restoration of opencast mining sites - evidence session 6
Well, it is relevant.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Restoration of opencast mining sites - evidence session 6
No, no, no, it's a fair enough question.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Restoration of opencast mining sites - evidence session 6
Okay. So, given that this is the climate change committee, and we know that the coal mined from Ffos-y-fran was really good stuff—. I was in the Isle of Man at the Tynwald celebrations—sorry, Delyth, we differ on this—last year, and they were absolutely…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Restoration of opencast mining sites - evidence session 6
Why are you limited from a legal perspective?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Restoration of opencast mining sites - evidence session 6
Yes.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Restoration of opencast mining sites - evidence session 6
But what are you doing? As a committee, we're not—. I'm not getting—
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Restoration of opencast mining sites - evidence session 6
Thank you. I am puzzled here. So, you basically have said that going back now would be difficult, and you talk about there being no mechanisms for you to open up those discussions, and relationship issues and things like that. Then you say that, in 2023, they…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Restoration of opencast mining sites - evidence session 6
Thanks. Yes, I'll do that and then—[Inaudible.]
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Restoration of opencast mining sites - evidence session 6
[Inaudible.]
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Restoration of opencast mining sites - evidence session 6
Is there anyone who can answer that question?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Restoration of opencast mining sites - evidence session 6
It's more grim than I thought, to be honest. So, why, in 2016, did you decline—not you, but why, in 2016, did they decline the offer from the Coal Authority to work with you to assess the escrow account requirements for restoration?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Restoration of opencast mining sites - evidence session 6
Oh dear.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Restoration of opencast mining sites - evidence session 6
How has that been allowed to happen?
