§ Mr. MacdonaldTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he intends to publish the result of the aggregates in Scotland working party survey completed in 1989; and whether he intends to have the survey updated before he decides whether or not to call in the planning decision due to be given on the Lingerbay quarry development.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonMy right hon. Friend is still considering the results of the aggregates in Scotland working party survey and is not yet in a position to predict a date for publication of the findings. He has no plans, for the present, to have the survey updated before he decides whether or not to call in the application for planning permission made by Redlands Aggregates Ltd. for development at Lingerbay near Rodel on the Isle of Harris.
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§ Mr. MacdonaldTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether his office will be commissioning their own independent assessment of the potential effects upon the local marine environment of ballast dumping in Lingerbay in connection with any quarry development.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonScottish Office officials are already looking into the possible implications for the marine environment of any project that may go ahead, including any effects that might arise from discharges of ballast water and potential discharges into the sea from quarrying operations. Any marine construction works would need a licence under part II of the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985. A detailed assessment of the impact of the project as a whole on the marine environment would be required before such a licence was issued.