Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, with reference to his oral contribution of 23 November 2016, Official Report, columns 879-880, and the Answer of 5 January 2016 to Question 20538, how many meetings he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer to discuss assistance for opencast coal restoration works within East Ayrshire; and on what dates those meetings were held.

Since the Opencast Restoration issue arose, I have raised this formally and informally on numerous occasions with Government colleagues, including with the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury on 14 July 2015, with whom responsibility for this policy sits. I last met with East Ayrshire Council in June this year to discuss progress with restoration.

BEIS officials have participated in the Scottish Government’s Coal Restoration Working Group which agreed a way forward for these sites. That Group publishes minutes and updates at:

https://beta.gov.scot/publications/coal-restoration-working-group-minutes-october-2016/

which include progress on restoration of sites in Ayrshire.

In addition, our UK Non Departmental Public Body, the Coal Authority, is continuing to offer to provide expert advice to Local Authorities.