§ Mr. GreenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps he has taken since May 1997 to prevent the discharges of minewater from abandoned mines. [158699]
Mr. Robert AinsworthThe Government are committed to controlling pollution from abandoned mines and have both strengthened the regulatory regime concerning abandoned mines and supported works and programmes to address minewater pollution. Under the Mines (Notice of Abandonment) Regulations 1998 operators must now give the Environment Agency advance warning of any proposed abandonment to allow preventive action to be taken to avoid minewater breakouts. In addition, the Government have brought into effect section 60 of the Environment Act 1995, thus removing a statutory defence for owners and former operators of mines for minewater pollution, and have given the Environment Agency new powers to take remedial action under the Anti-Pollution Works Regulations 1999. Among the specific remedial and preventative schemes supported by the Government are programmes operated by the Coal Authority in close liaison with the Environment Agency and Scottish Environment Protection Agency to prevent and treat significant water pollution from abandoned coal mines. Twelve treatment sites are now working and five others are under construction with a forward programme for four sites each year.