Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Callanan, on 17 April (HL Deb, col 518), what are the “existing licensing arrangements” in relation to the domestic demand for coal in heritage railways.

The Coal Authority is the licensor for coal extraction in the UK. Businesses seeking to develop a coal operation require a coal exploration licence from the Coal Authority, as well as planning permission and other consents, before a mine can become operational.

Potential coal extraction projects seeking to supply industries such as heritage rail would need to satisfy the ‘tests’ to issuing a licence under the 1994 Coal Industry Act. These include financial viability, practical experience, and relevant permissions (such as planning).