§ Baroness Nicolasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Mines and Quarries Act 1954 exempts from liability for pollution the owners of abandoned mines.
§ The Minister of State, Department of the Environment (Baroness Blatch)The Mines and Quarries Act sets out a number of obligations on the operation of working mines, concerned principally with health and safety issues. Upon abandonment, mine owners are required to notify HM Inspectorate of Mines and to deposit abandonment plans covering the mine workings. There are also requirements concerning the fencing of abandoned mine shafts. The Act does not refer to liability for pollution.