History
| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Long title | An Act to provide for the establishment and functions of a body to be known as the Coal Authority; to provide for the restructuring of the coal industry, for transfers of the property, rights and liabilities of the British Coal Corporation and its wholly-owned subsidiaries to other persons and for the dissolution of that Corporation; to abolish the Domestic Coal Consumers' Council; to make provision for the licensing of coal-mining operations and provision otherwise in relation to the carrying on of such operations; to amend the Coal Mining Subsidence Act 1991 and the Opencast Coal Act 1958; and for connected purposes. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 1994 c. 21 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 5 July 1994 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repeals/revokes | |
Status: Current legislation | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Text of the Coal Industry Act 1994 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk. | |
It was established under the Coal Industry Act 1994 (c. 21) to manage some functions, in which the British Coal Corporation (formerly the National Coal Board) had previously undertaken, including ownership of unworked coal. In November 2024, the organisation's name was changed from the Coal Authority to the Mining Remediation Authority to "better reflect the organisation’s 24/7 role to manage the effects of historical mining in England, Scotland and Wales and its work to seek low-carbon opportunities from our mining heritage for the future." [4]
The Mining Remediation Authority's public task comprises all the functions, duties and responsibilities is set out in the following documents
- The Coal Industry Act 1994 ("the 1994 act") [5]
- The Coal Mining Subsidence Act 1991, [6] as amended by the 1994 act
- A Revised Coal Authority Explanatory Note, produced by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) for Parliament in June 1994 to explain the intended provisions of the Coal Industry Bill
- The Water Act 2003 [7]
- The Water Environment and Water Services (Scotland) Act 2003 [8]
- Statement by Lord Strathclyde in 1994 on the government's expectations of the Coal Authority relating to mine water remediation [9]
- Re-statement by John Battle MP in 1998 that the Coal Authority was the designated body with responsibility for dealing with mine water discharges from former coal mines [10] [ failed verification ]
- The Energy Act 2011 [11]
Its headquarters are in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, where its Mining Heritage Centre is also based. This archive houses a large quantity of data, including historical information, relating to coal mining in Britain.
The unique collection of around 120,000 coal abandonment plans, covering both opencast and deep mining operations, dates as far back as the 17th century and depict areas of extraction and the point of entry into the same.
Historical mine plans can be accessed for research purposes, for desktop studies prior to development or simply by members of the public with an interest in the history of mining.
The Mining Remediation Authority also has a large collection of more than 47,000 British Coal photographs, which feature a wide range of collieries and cover every aspect of coal mining.
All plans and photographs have been digitally scanned and are available to any interested parties. They can be viewed at the Mining Heritage Centre in Mansfield.
