HC Deb 14 May 1998 vol 312 cc192-3W
Mr. Randall

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans she has to conserve the Sombrero black lizards of the Sombrero Island, Anguilla. [41628]

Mr. Battle

I am informed that ICF Kaiser are producing an Environmental Impact Assessment on behalf of Beal Aerospace. This assessment will examine the impact of Beal Aerospace's proposed development of a satellite launch facility on all flora and fauna on Sombrero Island, including the Sombrero Black Lizard.

Mr. Randall

To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what consultations her Department has held or plans to hold with ICF Kaiser on the scope of their environmental assessment of Sombrero Island in the Caribbean; and what alternative sites for building a rocket launching pad have been considered; [41625]

(2) what consultations her Department has held or plans to hold with ICF Kaiser on the scope of their environmental assessment of Sombrero Island in the Caribbean; and if she will make a statement. [41626]

Mr. Battle

ICF Kaiser is an adviser to Beal Aerospace which proposes to develop a satellite launch site on Sombrero Island in the UK dependent territory of Anguilla. Officials in the British National Space Centre (BNSC) have held a number of discussions with Beal Aerospace over the past three months to discuss a formal application to develop the site and conduct launches. BNSC officials have also contributed to defining the scope of an environmental assessment of the proposal. This contribution has reflected advice from a number of Government Departments including the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, and the Environment Agency.

The scope and content of the Environmental Assessment have been prepared such that they fulfil a series of requirements including those laid down by the UK's Town and Country Planning (Assessment of Environmental Effects) Regulation 1988, the US National Environmental Policy Act, and the World Bank.

Beal Aerospace investigated a number of alternative sites before making a commercial decision to select Sombrero Island, the only UK territorial site investigated.