§ Mr. Peter Robinsonasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will give details of all mineral exploration in Northern Ireland during each of the past five years and the total cost to the Department of Commerce of each exploration.
§ Mr. Adam ButlerUnder the Mineral Development Act (Northern Ireland) 1969, 14 prospecting licences for mineral exploration, each of which entitles the licensee to search for all minerals, have been issued by the Department of Commerce, Northern Ireland, during the past five years. The number of licences current in each of the past five years was as follows:
1976 6 1977 9 1978 9 1979 9 1980 8 It is not possible to identify the administrative costs associated with the issue of these licences.
Expenditure directly incurred by the Department of Commerce over the same period in exploration for indigenous sources of energy (mainly coal) was as follows:
1978 £228,375 1979 £384,567