Mr. Terence O'Rourke:

I am aware of the concerns issued regarding coal from the Cerrejón mine in Columbia, particularly over the past number of years. It is an issue we follow very carefully because of those concerns. We have historically purchased a very small percentage of the output of that mine. In the period from 2015 to 2018 we purchased some 2% of the total mine capacity. We have not used any coal from Cerrejón in the time since then and we are not currently using any of its coal.

We are conscious of the fact that when we buy coal from around the world we need to understand what the conditions are where the coal comes from. In 2014 we joined an organisation called Bettercoal. It had been established shortly before that by a number of large coal buyers. It is on the buying side and is entirely independent of the mining side. The mission of the organisation is the continuous improvement in coal mining operations through collective influence.

As a 2% purchaser we do not have much influence in the mines, so joining Bettercoal was a way for us to leverage our influence to punch above our weight. Bettercoal commenced assessment of the Cerrejón mine in 2016. The assessment included research, completion of questionnaires, visits to the site, talking to the local communities, trade unions and NGOs. The Bettercoal assessment measured the mine's operations against a large number of criteria across ten principles, which included human rights, workers' rights, ethics and community engagement. The assessment found that Cerrejón met, or substantially met, the vast majority of the Bettercoal criteria and the assessment did not record any failures. Senior managers at ESB have visited the mine on a number of occasions and were very vigilant about this matter. We understand the concerns people have. There are people there who are trying to improve the conditions anywhere there are shortfalls. We continue to keep an eye on it, but we are not buying any coal from them at the moment.