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Written question asked by Andrew George (Liberal Democrat) on Thursday, 10 September 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 14 September 2026. It was answered by Michael Shanks (Labour) on Friday, 18 September 2026 on behalf of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

Mining: Environment Protection

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the responsibilities of the Mining Remediation Authority, (a) how many claims relating to abandoned metal mines have been received by the Authority in each year since 2020, broken down by county, (b) how many such claims related to former tin mining areas in Cornwall and Devon, and (c) how those figures compare with the number of claims relating to former coal mining areas over the same period.

Answer

The Mining Remediation Authority exists primarily to manage the legacy of Great Britain's coal mining past, and its statutory responsibilities remain focused on former coal mining activities, and as such the MRA does not hold data on metal mines.

The MRA’ provides technical advice, when requested, on hazards associated with historic metal mining, as part of its role as a 24/7 emergency response organisation and a Category 2 responder under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004.

Between 1 April 2020 and 31 March 2026, the Mining Remediation Authority responded to 4,802 incidents and claims across Great Britain. Of these, 1,785 cases were determined to be attributable to former coal mining activities.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
28675
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Coal Environment protection Pollution Mining Metals Mining Remediation Authority
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk