Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made of the number of potential development sites for onshore wind which fall within the vicinity of the Eskdalemuir Seismological Array (ESA) in Scotland.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is a statutory consultee in the UK planning systems to safeguard operational defence sites. As such, the MOD is consulted on all wind farm planning applications within 50km of the Eskdalemuir Seismological Array.

The MOD cannot predict or estimate the number of wind farm applications that it may be consulted on.

The MOD routinely responds to representations and will raise objections to any development that may adversely impact Defence activities.