asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has yet completed his examination of the recommendations made in the report of the Stevens Committee on minerals planning control; and whether he will make a statement.
Copies of a statement by myself and my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Wales, setting out our response to the report of the Stevens Committee, have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. The statement will be circulated to local authorities and other interested bodies in England and Wales. Because separate legislation governs planning in Scotland, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland will be making a separate response.
Mineral working raises many complex issues. I hope that steady progress can now be made with the implementation of the recommendations so as to provide an improved basis for planning control over mineral working.