To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to reverse the prohibition on domestic production of coking coal; and if so, on what timetable.

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to reverse the prohibition on domestic production of coking coal; and if so, on what timetable.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of importing coking coal on the environment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of importing coking coal on the environment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will publish a list of the countries from which the coking coal required for the Scunthorpe blast furnaces will be purchased; and if he will publish the estimate of the carbon footprint which will be created by transporting...

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will publish a list of the countries from which the coking coal required for the Scunthorpe blast furnaces will be purchased; and if he will publish the estimate of the carbon footprint which will be created by transporting...

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much coking coal the Government has imported in 2025.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much coking coal the Government has imported in 2025.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much coking coal has been imported since 2018; and what the value was of the imports by country of origin.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much coking coal has been imported since 2018; and what the value was of the imports by country of origin.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much coking coal was imported in each quarter of 2022 by country of origin; and what was the value of the imports by country of origin.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much coking coal was imported in each quarter of 2022 by country of origin; and what was the value of the imports by country of origin.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed closure of the coking ovens at British Steel's Scunthorpe site on the level of UK demand for coking coal from the proposed Whitehaven mine.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed closure of the coking ovens at British Steel's Scunthorpe site on the level of UK demand for coking coal from the proposed Whitehaven mine.

My Lords, with the leave of the House, I shall now repeat a Statement made in

another place earlier today by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. The Statement is as follows:

“With permission, Mr Speaker, I would like to make a Statement...

My Lords, with the leave of the House, I shall now repeat a Statement made in

another place earlier today by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. The Statement is as follows:

“With permission, Mr Speaker, I would like to make a Statement...

My Lords, I thank the Minister for reading through the Statement. I note that it suggests that any mature and considered response needs to take account of the decision letter and the planning inspector’s report, so I reassure all noble Lords that I have indeed done so.

The Statement stresses that...

My Lords, I thank the Minister for reading through the Statement. I note that it suggests that any mature and considered response needs to take account of the decision letter and the planning inspector’s report, so I reassure all noble Lords that I have indeed done so.

The Statement stresses that...

I endorse the remarks just made by the noble Baroness, Lady Hayman. I agree completely with them so I will not repeat them, but I will make a couple of points.

First, this is not a short-term investment. Anybody opening up a coal mine knows that it has to have a...

I endorse the remarks just made by the noble Baroness, Lady Hayman. I agree completely with them so I will not repeat them, but I will make a couple of points.

First, this is not a short-term investment. Anybody opening up a coal mine knows that it has to have a...

My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Hayman of Ullock, and the noble Lord, Lord Stoneham of Droxford,

for their comments. Before I move on to my further remarks, I must emphasise that this debate surrounds a planning decision made by the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing...

My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Hayman of Ullock, and the noble Lord, Lord Stoneham of Droxford,

for their comments. Before I move on to my further remarks, I must emphasise that this debate surrounds a planning decision made by the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing...

Does the Minister recognise that 85% will be exported?

Does the Minister recognise that 85% will be exported?

I will come to that in a minute.

The decision made by the Secretary of State was in line with the recommendations of the independent inspector.

We are on track to deliver our climate and emissions commitments, which are among the most ambitious in the world. We will continue to lead the...

I will come to that in a minute.

The decision made by the Secretary of State was in line with the recommendations of the independent inspector.

We are on track to deliver our climate and emissions commitments, which are among the most ambitious in the world. We will continue to lead the...

On that point, can the Minister answer the questions that I raised. If you are exporting, how does that meet your net-zero targets? Also, the Gold Standard Foundation will not accept the credit but will offset it.

On that point, can the Minister answer the questions that I raised. If you are exporting, how does that meet your net-zero targets? Also, the Gold Standard Foundation will not accept the credit but will offset it.

I will write to the noble Baroness on that last point. If you are exporting something that has been produced in a way which is more environmentally friendly than other coal mines elsewhere in the world, surely that is good. We are currently importing coke. We will not be importing...

I will write to the noble Baroness on that last point. If you are exporting something that has been produced in a way which is more environmentally friendly than other coal mines elsewhere in the world, surely that is good. We are currently importing coke. We will not be importing...

Can the Minister clarify where this coal—the 85%—is going? Is the European single market likely to accept it?

Can the Minister clarify where this coal—the 85%—is going? Is the European single market likely to accept it?

Yes, it is my understanding that it will be going to Europe.

The inspector’s report also sets out, and the Secretary of State agrees, that the proposed development would have an overall neutral effect on climate change. It is therefore consistent with the government policies for meeting the challenge of climate...

Yes, it is my understanding that it will be going to Europe.

The inspector’s report also sets out, and the Secretary of State agrees, that the proposed development would have an overall neutral effect on climate change. It is therefore consistent with the government policies for meeting the challenge of climate...

My Lords—

My Lords—

Oh, come on.

Oh, come on.

I am sorry. There is not a timeframe—

I am sorry. There is not a timeframe—