HL Deb 03 December 1969 vol 306 cc97-9
THE EARL OF LAUDERDALE

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the first Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

[The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government which river authorities have submitted a "Section 18" report to the Water Resources Boards on underground sources of water.]

THE PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT (LORD KENNET)

My Lords, Section 18 deals with proposals for undertaking investigations of underground strata. The Water Resources Board have so far approved 20 such proposals from 15 river authorities, and proposals from nine river authorities are under discussion at the moment. With permission, I will circulate a list in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Following is the List referred to:

Schemes approved:

Schemes under discussion:

THE EARL OF LAUDERDALE

My Lords, while thanking the noble Lord for that reply, may I ask him whether the Water Resources Board is doing all it can to press river authorities to explore underground resources of water, including aquifers and disused collieries? And can he say whether the Hardham aquifer recharging experiment in Sussex is yet sufficiently advanced to merit imitation by other river authorities?

LORD KENNET

My Lords, I am afraid that that question is a little too detailed for me to answer without warning, but I will write to the noble Lord.

THE EARL OF LAUDERDALE

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the second Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

[The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many river authorities were able to submit by October, 1969, their "Section 14" surveys under the Water Resources Act 1963.]

LORD KENNET

My Lords, two river authorities have so far published final reports on their Section 14 surveys, and six more should do so this month. The remainder are expected during next year, except possibly one or two special cases.

THE EARL OF LAUDERDALE

My Lords, is it the case that the Water Resources Board set the end of September or else October, as the deadline for these reports? Further, is it not the case that the reports are delayed because the river authorities have been doing good by stealth in collaborating and preparing wider and more fundamental studies of the North, of the South-East, of Wales and the Midlands? Finally, when will the reports all be available in their final form?

LORD KENNET

My Lords, the date was set, or perhaps it would be better to say suggested, by the Water Resources Board. The statutory duty, of course, is simply to submit the reports as soon as possible. The South-East and the Northern studies are now complete, and the Water Resources Board is engaged on the third regional study for Wales and the Midlands.

THE EARL OF LAUDERDALE

My Lords, is it not the case that the publication of the Northern Board is only an interim report? Can the noble Lord tell us when the final report of the Northern Regional Board will come out?

LORD KENNET

My Lords, the next publication on the North from the Water Resources Board is due in a month or two.

LORD FRASER OF LONSDALE

My Lords, as this Act of Parliament is about five years old, may I ask the Minister whether he remembers that the essence of the matter was that we nationalised the river rights and authorised the river authorities to secure a minimum flow of water, if need be by stopping farmers and industrialists from taking too much away? Has not the time arrived when some kind of inquiry, perhaps in depth, should be made to see whether the Act has done what Parliament hoped it would do?

LORD KENNET

Well, my Lords, it may well be the case that there should be an inquiry in depth; but I think hardly yet. Not everything which was to be done under the Act has yet been done, and I think we should wait until it is completed before inquiring into the functioning of the Act.

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