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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many miners whose employment with British Coal ended before they reached the age of 50 had their entitlement to concessionary coal reinstated after the introduction of the National Concessionary Fuel Scheme in 2013.

In reference to employees solely employed by British Coal, there are no employees aged under 50 who have been reinstated as part of the 2013 announcement, which related specifically to employees of UK Coal who lost their entitlement following a fire at the company’s Daw Mill colliery in February 2013.

There will be some UK Coal beneficiaries who TUPE transferred from British Coal to UK Coal in 1995 under the age of 50, who continued their entitlements with the new company and then fell under the terms of the 2013 announcement. However, Capita, who administer the concessionary fuel schemes, do not hold this information.