HC Deb 04 March 1997 vol 291 c595W
23. Mr. Skinner

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will change planning procedures to make it more difficult for opencast coal operators to obtain planning consent. [17024]

Sir Paul Beresford

No. The mineral planning guidance note on opencast coal was fully reviewed and revised in July 1994. There are currently no plans to revise it again.