§ Mr. CanavanTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will list all those areas in Scotland for which planning permission has been granted for opencast mining.
§ Lord James Douglas-Hamilton[holding answer 19 April 1991]: Under current legislation my right hon. Friend deals only with applications for opencast coal operations which come before him on appeal. Up to 29 February 1984 opencast coal site applications were the concern of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy. Thereafter, under transitional arrangements, they transferred to my right hon. Friend until the local planning authorities assumed responsibility on 11 December 1987. I understand from British Coal (Scotland), which holds central records, that the details requested are as follows:
Other Sites Site name Location Planning authority area 1. Licensed and operational Colinshiel Armadale West Lothian District Common Farm Lugar Cumnock and Doon Valley District Craigmad California Falkirk District Crawick Crawick Cumnock and Doon Valley District Croftangreen East Kilbride Hamilton District Easter Baton Shotts Motherwell District Humbug Crossgates Dunfermline District Kitleyknowe Carlops Borders Region Laigh Riggend Wattston Monklands District Legbrannock Farm Newhouse Motherwell District Nether Longford Stoneyburn West Lothian District North Rhodens Armadale West Lothian District Oakerdykes Slammannan Falkirk District Parkwood West Dollar Clackmannan District Sherriff Faulds Hamilton Hamilton District South Landridge Salsburgh Monklands District South Roughcastle Falkirk Falkirk District Tippetcraig North Slamarman Falkirk District Venture Newmains Motherwell District Waterloo Wishaw Motherwell District West Kelt Banknock Cumbernauld and Kilsyth District Woosethead Newhouse Motherwell District 2. Sites believed to have planning permission but no licence Harehill Climpy Clydesdale District Garlaff Farm Cumnock Cumnock and Doon Valley District North Monkland Junction Slamannan Falkirk District Earnockmuir Hamilton Hamilton District Airth Mains Airth Falkirk District All information as at April 1991.