§ Mrs. Winifred Ewingasked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether there have been grants of licences to drill for survey purposes to ascertain the mineral potential in the: (a) Moray area on or offshore and (b) other parts of the Moray and Nairn coast.
§ Dr. J. Dickson MabonI have been asked to reply:
My Department has issued licences permitting the search for petroleum on land in Moray and offshore—covering the whole of the United Kingdom designated area. The offshore licences do not permit drilling work except with special permission from my Department, which no licensee has sought in relation to the area mentioned. The landward licences allow limited drilling in certain circumstances but I understand none has taken place in the Moray area.