§ Mr. DoverTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many planning applications for opencast mining have been made and approved in each of the last five years; and what was the expected quantity of coal indicated.
§ Mr. Baldry[holding answer 24 March 1993]: This information is not held centrally. According to statistics compiled by the County Planning Officers Society's Committee No. 3, however, the information requested is as shown in the table.
Number of applications Number approved Tonnage (thousands) 1987–88 90 60 13,746 1988–89 100 66 28,389 1989–90 80 49 10,525 1990–91 118 79 12,722 1991–92 91 63 10,195