10. Will the First Minister confirm that it is the policy of the Welsh Government not to allow any new opencast developments in Wales? OAQ51261

We will be consulting early next year on amendments to 'Planning Policy Wales' to prevent new opencast developments in Wales.

I thank the First Minister for that confirmation because, First Minister, we've seen a number of instances where companies involved in the opencast industry have failed to honour their obligation to reinstate sites, either partially or wholly, once activities have ceased. It seems incredible, then, that the company previously owning Ffos-y-fran opencast in Merthyr has been allowed to rescind its guarantee of some £15 million by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. The council instituted, in its place, an escrow account, which the owners will be expected to pay into, thus effectively swapping a guaranteed sum of money to one dependent on the efficacy of the new company. Is the First Minister able to shed any light on what seems to be an extraordinary decision?

I can't. It's a matter for Merthyr council, of course. They have the responsibility for enforcement of planning. I have seen—not Ffos-y-fran—but I have seen incidences elsewhere, where opencast mining has finished, and still sites have not yet been restored. That is because, to my mind, of an issue with the bonds that companies were required to produce in the days when coal was privatised. There was, if I understand it, a limit placed on the bonds they were required to place, and those bonds are not sufficient to cover the restoration of the land in some cases. That is a historic problem, but it's a matter for Merthyr council to explain. I'm not aware of the circumstances why it is that they've taken the decision that they have.