What assessment it has made of the total level of independent financial guarantees in place for restoration and aftercare of operational op…

There are currently twelve open cast sites in Scotland that are operational. Of those sites, nine are still producing coal and three are carrying out restoration and care/maintenance activities. Restoration and aftercare arrangements including financial guarantees are agreed between the operator and the planning authority as part of the planning process on a site-by-site basis.
Scottish Planning Policy states:
“Planning authorities should, through planning conditions and legal agreements, ensure that a high standard of restoration and aftercare is managed effectively and that such work is undertaken at the earliest opportunity. A range of financial guarantee options is currently available and planning authorities should consider the most effective solution on a site-by-site basis.”
Issues of restoration and aftercare for open cast sites were addressed as part of the cross-party Scottish coal industry taskforce through the Scottish Government’s consultation Opencast Coal Restoration: Effective Regulation, which invited views on revisions to planning policy and advice including Planning Advice Note 64: Reclamation of Surface Mineral Workings. The consultation closed on 27 February 2014.
The analysis from responses received for that consultation was published in July 2014 and is available at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/0045/00457043.pdf.
Two separate working groups have been established to take forward and develop and make assessment of the responses to the consultation.