Disused Mine and Quarry Tips (Wales) Act 2025

1. Introduction

2. Summary and Policy Background

3. Commentary on Sections

   1. Part 1 – the Disused Tips Authority for Wales.

      1. Overview of Part 1

         1. Section 1 - The Disused Tips Authority for Wales

         2. Schedule 1- The Disused Tips Authority for Wales

         3. Section 2 - The Authority’s exercise of its functions

         4. Section 3 - Information, advice and assistance

         5. Section 4 – Financial assistance

         6. Section 5 - Ancillary powers

   2. Part 2 Assessment, Registrati on and Monitoring of Disused Tips

      1. Chapter 1– Register of Disused Tips

         1. Overview of Chapter 1

            1. Sections 6 and 7 – Duty to compile and maintain register and the criteria for registration

            2. Section 8 - Content of the register

            3. Section 9 - Public access to the register

            4. Section 10 - Duty to monitor registered tips

      2. Chapter 2 – Assessment of Disused Tips

         1. Section 11 - Overview

         2. Sections 12 and 15 - Meaning of “preliminary assessment” and “full assessment”

         3. Section 13 - Preliminary assessments of all disused tips

         4. Section 14 – Additional preliminary assessments

         5. Section 16 – Full assessment of unregistered tip

         6. Section 17 - Full assessment of registered tip

         7. Section 18 – Notice of intention to carry out full assessment

         8. Section 19 – Notice of conclusions of full assessment

      3. Chapter 3 – Registering and Deregistering Disused Tips

         1. Overview of Chapter 3

            1. Section 20 – Proposal to register tip

            2. Section 21 – Decision on registration

            3. Section 22 – Proposal to remove tip from register

            4. Section 23 – Decision on removal of tip from register

      4. Chapter 4 – the Categories of Disused Tip Etc

         1. Overview of Chapter

            1. Section 24 – Categories of disused tip

            2. Section 25 – Statement of policy on categorisation

            3. Section 26 – Initial categorisation of a disused tip

            4. Section 27 – Reviews of categorisation

      5. Chapter 5 – Notifiable Changes to the Register

         1. Overview of Chapter 5

            1. Section 28 – Meaning of “notifiable change”

            2. Section 29 – Proposal to make notifiable change

            3. Section 30 – Decision on notifiable change

      6. Chapter 6 – Supplementary Provision

         1. Overview

            1. Section 31 – Duty to compile and maintain list of all disused tips

            2. Section 32 – Duty to publish notices

            3. Section 33 - Compensation for damage or disturbance

            4. Schedule 2 – Claims for compensation by owners and contributories

            5. Section 34 – Penalty for obstructing monitoring activities or assessments

   3. Part 3 – Dealing With Tip Instability and Threats to Tip Stability

      1. Chapter 1 - Requiring an Owner of Land to Carry Out Operations

         1. Overview of Chapter

            1. Section 35 – Notice requiring owner of land to carry out operations

            2. Section 36 – Owner's right of entry onto land etc

            3. Section 37 – Duty to give interested parties copies of notice

            4. Section 38 – Right of owner and interested parties to appeal against notice

            5. Section 39 – Determination of appeals

            6. Section 40 – Supplementary provision about appeals

            7. Section 41 – Penalty for failure to comply with notice

            8. Section 42 – Power to cancel notice

            9. Section 43 – Reimbursement of owner’s expenses on cancellation of notice

      2. Chapter 2 – Operations Carried Out by the Authority

         1. Overview of Chapter

            1. Section 44 – Authority's power to carry out operations

            2. Section 45 – Authority's right to remove and dispose of property

            3. Section 46 – Duty to give notice to owners

            4. Section 47 – Duty to give interested parties copies of notice

      3. Chapter 3 – Payments in Connection With Operations

         1. Overview of Chapter

            1. Section 48 – Contribution orders

            2. Section 49 – Meaning of “contribution order”, “contributory” and “the specified percentage”

            3. Section 50 – Compensation for damage, loss or disturbance etc

            4. Section 51 – Owner's right to receive expenses from contributory

            5. Schedule 3 – Modifications of sections 51 and 52 where a notice under section 35 is cancelled

            6. Section 52 – Right of contributory to appeal against owner’s demand

            7. Section 53 – Authority's right to recover certain expenses

            8. Section 54 - Right to appeal against Authority’s demand

      4. Chapter 4 – Supplementary Provision

         1. Overview of Chapter 4

            1. Section 55 – Power to carry out investigations

            2. Section 56 – Penalty for obstructing operations etc

   4. Part 4 – Supplementary

      1. Overview of Part 4

         1. Section 57 – Management plans

         2. Section 58 – Meaning of “relevant public authority”

         3. Section 59 – Authority's power to require relevant public authorities to give information

         4. Section 60 – Duties of Authority and relevant public authorities to share information

         5. Section 61 – Information about estates or interests in land

         6. Section 62 – Information about estates or interests in Crown land

         7. Section 63 – Information to identify or assess threats to stability of a disused tip etc

         8. Section 64 - Penalties in connection with notices requiring information

         9. Section 65 – Power to enter land

         10. Section 66 – Entry to land without a warrant

         11. Section 67 – Warrant to enter land

         12. Section 68 - Entry to land with a warrant

         13. Section 69 – Penalty for obstructing entry to land

         14. Section 70 – Entry to Crown land

      2. Miscellaneous

         1. Section 71 – Duty to establish and maintain a website or other electronic facility

         2. Section 72 - Publication

         3. Section 73 – Provision of administrative, technical or professional services

         4. Section 74 - Guidance

         5. Section 75 – Amendments to the Mines and Quarries (Tips) Act 1969

   5. Part 5 – General

      1. Overview of Part 5

         1. Section 76 - Offences by bodies corporate

         2. Section 77 - Bringing proceedings

         3. Section 78 – Power to make consequential, transitional etc, provision

         4. Section 79 - Regulations under this Act

         5. Section 80 – General provision about giving notices etc.

         6. Section 81 – Additional provision about giving notices etc. to persons occupying or interested in land

         7. Section 82 – Giving notices etc. to the Crown

         8. Section 83 – Raising of money in particular cases to meet expenditure

         9. Section 84 – Church of England land

         10. Section 85 – Power to modify application of Act to Authority land

      2. Interpretation

         1. Section 86 - Meaning of “tip” and “disused tip”

         2. Section 87 - Meaning of “threat to human welfare”

         3. Section 88 – Meaning of “owner”

         4. Section 89 – Definitions relating to the Crown

         5. Section 90 – General interpretation

         6. Section 91 - Index of defined terms

         7. Section 92 – Coming into force

         8. Section 93 – Short title

4. Record of Proceedings in the Senedd