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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure that UK industries reduce the release carbon through extraction techniques.

The Government is committed to bringing all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. A key part of this is closing all unabated coal-fired power stations in Great Britain by 2024. The reduction of demand for coal in the UK will mean a reduction in domestic mining activity and therefore of the emissions associated with extraction.

The National Policy Statement is clear that planning permission should not be granted for the extraction of coal unless the proposal is environmentally acceptable or the national, local or community benefits outweigh its likely impacts. The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government leads on planning policy for coal mines in England.