§ Q9. Mr. Tom Boardmanasked the Prime Minister whether he is satisfied with the co-ordination between the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of the Environment on the encouragement of mineral exploration and evaluation in Great Britain; and if he will make a statement.
§ The Prime MinisterYes. The scheme which my hon. Friend the Minister for Industry announced on 8th July will, I hope, lead in due course to significant domestic production of certain essential166W minerals for which we now have to rely almost entirely on imports. The normal planning controls will ensure that fuller development of our mineral resources can be achieved without unacceptable effects on the environment.