§ Mr. Foulkesasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what will be the terms of reference of the inquiry into the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority appeal against Kyle and Carrick district council's refusal to allow investigations at Mullwharcher; and where and when the public inquiry will take place.
§ Mr. RifkindThe reporter holding the public inquiry will be required in terms of his statutory duty to report on the application refused, namely the drilling of boreholes for the purposes of studying the properties and structure of rocks and the movement of water within them; and the temporary siting of up to six small portable buildings or caravans. The inquiry will be held in the nearest convenient place to the subject of the application and a date has not yet been fixed.
§ Mr. Foulkesasked the Secretary of State for Scotland which of the 20 sites proposed by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority for nuclear dumping investigations are in Scotland; what action has been taken to date on each of the sites proposed; and why procedures relating to the Mullwharcher site are at a more advanced stage than others.
§ Mr. RifkindThe United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority—UKAEA—has submitted planning applications at Mullwharcher and Altnabreac in connection with the geological research programme. Planning permission was granted at Altnabreac and research drilling has been carried out there. Kyle and Carrick district council refused a similar application in respect of Mullwharcher, and an appeal has been lodged by UKAEA. The possibility of investigations at some other sites has been discussed openly with local interests and appropriately publicised, but it is not yet possible to say which if any of these may be selected for further study.