Written question asked by Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Labour), in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 24 April 1996. It was answered by Tim Eggar (Conservative) on Wednesday, 24 April 1996 on behalf of the Department of Trade and Industry.

Dept of Trade and Industry

Question: What reports he has evaluated of explosions in the immediate vicinity of Beaufort's Dyke which were related to pipelaying activities undertaken by British Transco.

Answer: Mr. Foulkes: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what reports he has evaluated of explosions in the immediate vicinity of Beaufort's dyke which were related to pipelaying activities undertaken by British Transco.[25721] Mr. Eggar: The 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.

Secondary information