Miners' Strike (Pardons) Act takes effect from today

The Miners' Strike (Pardons) (Scotland) Act 2022 takes effect from today, 27 July 2022.

The Act provides a collective and automatic pardon to former miners, household members of a miner, parents, siblings and children of a miner who were convicted in Scotland for a breach of the peace, breaching bail conditions, or an offence under s 41(1)(a) of the Police (Scotland) Act 1967 such as police obstruction during the 1984-85 miners' strike. 

The offence must have related to conduct which took place between 12 March 1984 and 3 March 1985 inclusive and while the individual was: 

• engaged or participating in activity supporting or opposing the miners’ strike; or 
• assembling before or after such activity; or  
• travelling to or from such activity; or  
• responding to such activity.

Conduct relating to personal matters not connected to the strike is excluded from the pardon. 

A pardon is also given to the offence of theft committed to relieve economic hardship arising from participation in the miners’ strike, where either the qualifying individual was a participant in the strike, or committed theft to help someone else who was participating in the strike.  

Further enquiries about the pardon and the qualifying criteria can be emailed to minersstrikepardon@gov.scot, or by writing to: Miners' Strike Pardon, Scottish Government, St Andrew's House, Regent Road, Edinburgh EH1 3DG.