§ 24. Mr. HoodTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any proposals to issue a revised planning circular to provide clearer protection of the environment of the communities affected by opencast mining and similar activities; and what further consideration has been given to this subject since the Government's response to the recommendations of the Energy Committee's report on the coal industry.
§ Mr. TrippierThe Department issued revised draft planning guidelines for opencast coal mining for consultation in April last year. We are currently considering all the representations received and propose to publish revised guidelines in the near future.