§ 2.48 p.m.
§ LORD BARNBYMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are able to make a Statement on progress of sites for "Platform" construction on the coast of Cromarty.
§ THE MINISTER OF STATE, SCOTTISH OFFICE (LORD HUGHES)My Lords, planning permission has been given for four oil production platform construction sites on the coast of the Cromarty Firth. So far one of them, at Nigg Bay, is in operation.
§ LORD BARNBYMy Lords, it is well known that the Minister is fully aware of the importance of speed, from a national point of view, in the granting of these licences. Can the noble Lord indicate whether any other application is pending for which all of the procedural permits have been given, so that it therefore lies entirely with the Minister to give a decision? If there is another such application, is he in a position to give any indication as to whether an early reply may be expected from the Minister?
§ LORD HUGHESMy Lords, I think that the noble Lord may be referring to the Kishorn site. It is not the case that all the procedures have been completed. My right honourable friend the Secretary of State received an application from Ross and Cromarty County Council only on March 29. A number of objections have been lodged, and these will have to be the subject of consideration by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State.
§ THE EARL OF DUNDEEMy Lords, may I ask the noble Lord whether he has seen the letter in the Press this morning from Mr. Gordon Campbell, the late Secretary of State for Scotland, reminding us of a Parliamentary Statement last January? The Statement warned that if one of the deep water sites not in the Cromarty area but in the Loch Carron area is not obtained by July of this year, 7 then the special concrete platforms required to produce the maximum flow of oil to Scotland will not be ready by 1977 or 1978. Can the noble Lord say whether, if the Drumbuie site should be disallowed, there will still be time to get planning permission, after hearing the objections to any of the other Loch Canon sites, before the end of this summer?
§ LORD HUGHESMy Lords, I have not seen the letter to which the noble Earl has referred, but I shall take an early opportunity of reading it. At present there are three planning applications for sites on the West coast of the county in the Loch Carron area. Two overlapping applications for a site at Drumbuie have been the subject of a public local inquiry, the report of which is awaited, and the local planning authority have applied to the Secretary of State for Scotland for a direction under Article 8 of the General Development Order to enable it to grant planning permission for the site of Kishorn, to which I referred previously in answer to the noble Lord, Lord Barnby. As I said, this request is under consideration but we have not yet received the report from the Reporter of the Drumbuie Inquiry and it would be improper for me to make any comment on it at this stage.
§ VISCOUNT THURSOMy Lords, can the noble Lord say whether each of the four sites in the Cromarty Firth, to which he has referred, is allocated to a different firm? If so, are any allocated to firms which are also applying for sites in other parts of the coast of Scotland?
§ LORD HUGHESMy Lords, I am sorry, but I am not in a position to answer that question. However, I will find out and communicate the information to the noble Earl. I would point out that the granting of planning permission in response to an application is not always followed by action on the site.
§ THE EARL OF LAUDERDALEMy Lords, can the noble Lord say whether the Scottish Office has yet completed the preparation of a list which a year ago we understood would be provided of all sites on the North and West Coast and the Islands of Scotland suitable for the construction of gravity concrete structures? 8 Has that list been completed and made available?
§ LORD HUGHESNo, my Lords, but clearance has been given to nine platform production sites. Only four of these are in use at present, the one at Nigg Bay, to which I have already referred, Ardersier, Methil and Ardyne Point. In the case of Ardyne Point, work was not started until nine months after the then Secretary of State's decision.
§ THE EARL OF LAUDERDALE: My Lords, further to that reply, for which I am grateful, would not the Minister agree that in the interests of getting oil ashore it is urgent that those firms interested in building gravity structures should be able to make a selection of available sites? Would be look into this point? About a year ago, the Scottish Office gave us all to understand that it was to prepare a complete list of geographically suitable sites without any commitment in terms of planning limitations.
§ LORD HUGHESMy Lords, I will bring the remarks of the noble Earl to the notice of my right honourable friend.
§ THE EARL OF DUNDEE: My Lords, would the noble Lord agree that none of the nine approved sites in Scotland which he has mentioned have deep enough water for the special concrete platforms, some of which will be required to secure the necessary flow of oil in a few years' time?
§ LORD HUGHESMy Lords, that is possible, but they were obviously suitable for the purposes of those who applied.
§ LORD BARNBYMy Lords, may I ask whether the Minister, recognising the delicacy of certain aspects of this question, but arising out of his reply to my noble friend Lord Dundee, might find himself in a position to indicate whether it is to be understood that the overriding of environmental considerations would require special legislation to avoid the delay which may result in one whole year being lost? Will be ensure that there is no delay on the decisions which the Minister may give regarding applications before him?
§ LORD HUGHESMy Lords, there is no one particular set of circumstances which can be "overriding", but it would be wrong to ignore any particular one. 9 Environment is one of the matters that has to be taken into consideration, but my right honourable friend the Secretary of State will make, and his predecessor has made, decisions in the light of all the circumstances in trying to arrive at a conclusion which is in the best interests of the country.