§ Mr. BarnesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress he can report on the application by Derbyshire county council to his minerals division for funding under the Moynihan agreement in relation to the reclamation of the Erin void at Poolsbrook, Staveley, Derbyshire; and if he will make a statement.
§ Sir Paul BeresfordThe Moynihan agreement relates to deep mines in England started before 1 July 1948 which closed within four years commencing 1 April 1990. Under the agreement, British Coal undertook responsibility for the restoration of those closed colliery sites to a soft end use. An application for funding by my Department would not be appropriate nor has such an application been received.
However, Derbyshire county council has made representations to my Department about a dispute with British Coal as to whether the Erin void falls within the terms of the agreement. My understanding is that the Erin void is a former opencast coal site which is already subject to conditions requiring its infilling and restoration to a condition suitable for agriculture. As such, it would not appear to fall within the agreement.