§ The Earl of LAUDERDALEMy 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 will publish an up-to-date report on minerals exploration in Scotland undertaken by the Institute of Geological Science on behalf of the Department of Industry.
§ The MINISTER of STATE, SCOTTISH OFFICE (Lord Kirkhill)My Lords, as a result of work carried out under the current programme of Mineral Resources Investigations in Great Britain, seven reports have so far been completed and are available for public inspection; three of these relate to Scotland. Fifty-two further reports are due to be completed by the end of July 1977, of which 18 relate to Scotland.
§ The Earl of LAUDERDALEMy Lords, I thank the noble Lord for that reply. Can the noble Lord say whether those reports which are available for inspection can be obtained in the Printed Paper Office, or are they so bulky that one would need a slim volume to summarise them?
§ Lord KIRKHILLMy Lords, they are available at the relevant IGS Libraries, and I am advised that these are to be found at—surprisingly perhaps—Exhibition Road, London, Gray's Inn Road, London, at Leeds, at Exeter, and at Edinburgh in Murtchison House, West Mains Road.
§ The Earl of LAUDERDALEMy Lords, can the noble Lord make arrange- 1652 ments so that the Houses of Parliament might also be a repository for these documents, so that Members of both Houses can consult them?
§ Lord KIRKHILLMy Lords, I shall certainly give consideration to what seems to me to be a relevant point which the noble Earl makes.