88.On 4 March 2015, it was announced that the Government would assume responsibility and meet the costs of around 700 employees of UK Coal Production Ltd and certain other UK Coal companies. The Act enables the Government to support UK Coal Production Ltd by way of meeting the company’s concessionary fuel obligation to members of its workforce in accordance with the rules on regular and proper expenditure.
89.Due to the rules on what constitutes regular and proper expenditure, this expenditure cannot rest on the Supply and Appropriation Act. This Act applies to a person’s contractual entitlement to concessionary coal or payments in lieu of concessionary coal arising in connection to his employment at UK Coal Production Ltd, UK Coal Thoresby Limited and UK Coal Kellingley Limited. This person includes an employee, redundant person, retired person or in some cases, a dependant of such persons. In the case of a dependant, they will not have a direct contractual entitlement with the company but their entitlement would be referable to a contractual right. UK Coal Production Ltd, UK Coal Thoresby Limited, UK Coal Kellingley must be carrying on the business of deep coal-mining (as opposed to opencast coal-mining) on 1 January 2014.