§ Mr. McMasterTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the most recent information available to him on the stability of the disused coal mineworkings which lie under the town of Johnstone and the village of Elderslie; if he will commission a study into the need for further ground stabilisation measures; and if he will make a statement. [18990]
§ Mr. KynochWhere properties suffer damage as a result of coal mining subsidence, the Coal Authority or the relevant mine owner is responsible for repair or compensation under the Coal Mining Subsidence Act 1991 as amended by the Coal Industry Act 1994. I understand that the Coal Authority is not aware of any stability problems relating to the mineworkings under the town of Johnstone or the village of Elderslie.
Table 1 £ thousand 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 Capital allocation for introduction of community charge 6,000 15,000 — — — — — — Community charge grant — — — — 437,000 16,000 9,000 7,400 Community charge transitional relief — — — 24,000 2,000 — — — Community charge reduction scheme — — — — 140,000 107,000 3,050 900 Community charge rebilling grant — — — — 4,000 — — — Council tax transitional relief — — — — — — 17,000 3,100 Council tax valuation grant — — — — 1,000 7,000 1,600 0
Table 2 £ thousand 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–951 Community charge registration 9,645 11,709 14,048 — — — Council tax valuation — — — 11,342 13,798 9,176 Community charge collection 10,426 25,817 25,618 29,595 — —