THE EARL OF HARROWBYasked Her Majesty's Government when the 1" and 6" geological surveys started for England and the rest of the United Kingdom; what proportion has since been completed; how great an inroad is made each year into the residue; how long at this rate it will take to complete (i) England, (ii) the remainder of the United Kingdom; what proportion of the country has no data other than on a very small scale (stating what this scale is) of over 100 years old; and whether work for all outside bodies such as the National Coal Board can be done solely by staff paid for by themselves, under the general auspices of the Geological Survey, but without encroaching on their normal programme.
Surveys Begun Proportion completed of country and published or in the process of being published Annual progress of Survey (1956) in square miles Estimated time to complete Survey at present rate of progress England and Wales: 1" to 1 mile. 1835 Per cent. 100 Maps continue to be published but based on 6" mapping. — England and Wales: 6" to 1 mile. 1859 64 Primary: 324 70 years Revision: 146 No estimate Scotland: 6" to 1 mile. 1854 92 Primary: 23 100 years Revision: 124 No estimate Ireland*: 6" to 1 mile. 1845 100 Primary: None — Revision: 50 No estimate * Her Majesty's Government now has no responsibility for geological surveying in Eire. In England and Wales about 36 per cent. of the country has been surveyed only on the one inch scale; for rather more than 9,000 square miles in South-West England and Wales the Survey is over 100 years old and hand-coloured maps only are available. Some remote areas of Scotland, amounting in all to about 8 per cent., have not yet been mapped on the one inch scale, though reconnaissance has been undertaken in those areas.
The maim task of the Geological Survey is to provide geological maps of this
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§ THE LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL (VISCOUNT HAILSHAM)The official geological survey of England and Wales was commenced on the one inch scale in 1835; six inch survey began in 1859. In Scotland and Ireland surveying was from the outset on the six inch scale, and was commenced in 1854 and 1845 respectively. In all three countries maps were published on the one inch scale; maps on the six inch scale are published only for economically important areas. The whole of Great Britain and Ireland, with the exception of about 2,500 square miles in Scotland, has been surveyed officially on either the one inch or the six inch scale.
The following tabulated statement provides detailed information. Revision six inch surveys of industrially important areas have of necessity taken precedence over the primary six inch surveys in some parts of Great Britain.
country which will be of service to science and industry. The programme of surveying is drawn up in the light of the requirements of potential users of the maps and memoirs, including the National Coal Board, which has its own staff of geologists to deal with coal production problems. Work for the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority is carried out at the charge of the Authority, with appropriate additional staff.
House adjourned at ten minutes before five o'clock.