Scottish energy minister Fergus Ewing has called for levies made on coal mined in Scotland, which total £15 million, to be passed to Scotland from Westminster so they can be used to restore opencast mine sites.
Ewing said he had first made the call over a year ago. He said “We have a significant restoration legacy to deal with in Scotland and that money - paid into the central funds in London - has not been used for the industry or affected communities. It is now needed to help restore these sites.”