Energy Minister Fergus Ewing has renewed calls for the UK Government to ensure that £15 million coal levies raised from coal produced in Scotland be reinvested to restore opencast sites here.

It comes as up to 550 new jobs are expected to be created in the coming months as significant progress on restoration continues in Fife, East Ayrshire, Dumfries & Galloway and South Lanarkshire.

The sixth meeting of the Scottish Open Cast Mining Taskforce, which includes representatives of affected councils, the Coal Authority, the relevant unions, the Scottish Government and its agencies, environmental agency Sepa and the UK Government, meets today.

Mr Ewing said:

“I have written twice to my UK counterpart Michael Fallon, on this issue since September 2013 and I have yet to receive a substantive reply. The UK Government’s lack of engagement in this manner is displaying a disrespect to the people of scotland.

“The taskforce has worked hard collectively to foster the positive action and engagement that has led to the creation of so many new jobs, this is great news for the economies of the effected mining communities.

“The money collected by the UK Government over the years from coal mined in Scotland, in the region of £15 million, should now be put to good use to help with the restoration of opencast sites.

“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 be put to good and proper use to help to restore these sites .”