07 August 2008
Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS)
 
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Coal

Coal fire

This section covers BERR's responsibilities concerning the coal industry and with the various obligations arising from the industry’s period of public ownership up until 1994.

BERR covers:

Coal industry issues

  • policy towards the UK coal industry
  • UK's obligations relating to coal under the European Treaties, in particular the EU's coal state aids regime
  • management of UK Coal Investment Aid
  • awareness of environmental regulations and their impact on the coal industry

Other coal issues inherited from British Coal

  • supervision of the regulatory and other arrangements established by the Coal Industry Act 1994
  • sponsorship of the Coal Authority; coal subsidence
  • management of residual rights and obligations arising from the 1994 privatisation including: supervision of contracts for delivery of concessionary coal to certain ex-British Coal employees; Government's interest as Guarantor of the coal industry's pension funds
  • enforcement of BERR's rights under the 1994 privatisation agreements
  • supervision of contracts for delivery of concessionary coal to certain ex-British Coal employees
  • representation of Government's interest as Guarantor of the coal industry's pension funds

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