§ Mr. FoulkesTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what reports he has evaluated of explosions in182W the immediate vicinity of Beaufort's dyke which were related to pipelaying activities undertaken by British Transco. [25721]
§ Mr. EggarThe Department of Trade and Industry did not receive any reports directly but, during our regular contacts with The Scottish Office Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries Department we were informed of the British Geological Survey's findings. The DTI liaised with Premier Transco Ltd. in its contacts with BGS where information on explosions used during construction of the pipeline, particularly on the landfall sections, were made available, and efforts made to reconcile the data. It was concluded that the hitherto unexplained explosions, highlighted in the BGS survey, were the result of either military activity or preparatory work relating to the construction of the Scotland to Northern Ireland pipeline.