§ Baroness Nicolasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will indicate the procedures which operate in Northern Ireland to give effect to each of the steps required under Article 3 of the Espoo Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context; and whether they will list the occasions on which these procedures have been operated since the coming into force of the convention.
§ The Paymaster General (Lord Belstead)The convention is not yet in operation. However, Northern Ireland departments have arrangements with their counterparts in the Republic of Ireland whereby they notify and are notified of projects which 3WA would fall within Appendix I to the convention and which are likely to have a significant adverse transboundary impact.
These procedures have operated on two occasions in connection with proposed port and pulp mill developments at Londonderry.