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 [email protected], or by writing to: Miners' Strike Pardon, Scottish Government, St Andrew's House, Regent Road, Edinburgh EH1 3DG.