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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to prevent the establishment of new coal mining sites.

The Government has committed to phase-out coal power by 2024 – a year earlier than planned. Coal mining in the UK has been in long term decline reflecting falling domestic demand. There are only a handful of operational mines remaining in the UK.