Asked by: Baroness Finlay of Llandaff (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government on what dates during the past five years they held meetings with the Government of Wales to discuss the (1) safety, and (2) management, of National Coal Board coal tips; and who was present at those meetings.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Ministers and officials from Her Majesty’s Government and the Welsh Government meet regularly to discuss a range of issues including the safety and management of coal tips. In addition, the UK Coal Authority has been working alongside the Welsh Government on its programme of tip risk assessments and inspections.
Asked by: Baroness Finlay of Llandaff (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact the COVID-19 pandemic on the ability of early career researchers to continue in their research career.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We are aware of the enormous pressures that the pandemic has had on researchers and doctoral student’s ability to conduct their research. The Government has made available £280 million of funding to sustain UKRI and National Academy grant-funded research and fellowships affected by COVID-19 through costed grant extensions and other measures.
UKRI has made over £62 million of financial support available to students most impacted by the pandemic. It is estimated that this funding is available for up to 12,000 students. This will go some way in ensuring students at the beginning of their academic career will obtain their doctorates in good time and stead.
Most research environments have now adapted to the pandemic, adjusting data-collection plans for their projects, and also operating in a covid-safe way for staff on site. We understand some researchers have been disrupted more than others, and we expect institutions and funders to work with them on a case-by-case basis.
We will continue to monitor the impacts of COVID-19 and UKRI continues to listen and respond carefully as the situation evolves.