§ Mr. SweeneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many hazardous substance consents were made by local councils in Wales in the last year; and if he will make a statement.
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§ Mr. Gwilym JonesIn the period between 1 April 1993 and 31 March 1994, 12 hazardous substance consents were issued in Wales. The consents were issued under the Planning (Hazardous Substances) Act 1990, which came into force on 1 June 1992. The Act requires that the storage or use of certain substances on particular sites are consented to by the local council. Substances can be used or stored in significant amounts only after the local council has assessed the risk to people in the neighbourhood.
Only five councils received applications, compared to 26 in the previous year. Of the 12 consents issued, 10 were new applications and two were carried forward from the previous year. These were both consents for sites where substances were already being stored or used before the Act came into force.