§ Mr. George Rodgersasked the Secretary of State for Energy how many applications for opencast developments he has approved during the last three years; and in how many cases approval has been given against the recommendation of the Department of the Environment's inspector who has presided at an inquiry.
§ Mr. EadieSince the beginning of 1976, 50 applications have been approved, four of them after the inspector at a public inquiry had recommended refusal. In two of the latter cases, significant modifications were made to the boundaries of the sites in accordance with the inspectors' suggestions.