HC Deb 05 June 1957 vol 571 cc1230-1
19. Mr. W. R. Williams

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what action he proposes to take to speed up the report of the Committee of Inquiry into inland waterways.

Mr. Watkinson

I am assured that the Committee is pressing ahead as quickly as the large volume of evidence permits.

Mr. Williams

Will the Minister try to impress upon the Committee of Inquiry how serious and urgent is this problem of the disused canals? Is he aware that in two canals in the Manchester district as many as 33 young children have lost their lives during the last two years, and that many of these disused canals are nothing but open sewers? Will the right hon. Gentleman, therefore, ask the Committee of Inquiry whether it can deal preferentially with this aspect of the matter and, if necessary, make an interim report to the Minister on the subject?

Mr. Watkinson

I will draw those remarks to the attention of the Bowes Committee, but I am more anxious that it should complete its final report.

Mr. G. R. Strauss

Will the right hon. Gentleman bear in mind that when this Committee was set up, we on these benches prophesied that it would mean at least a two years' delay, which would be intolerable, and when we made that prophecy we were ridiculed by the right hon. Gentleman?

Mr. Watkinson

No, I do not think I ridicule anybody in this House. What I said was that the Committee would do its work as quickly as possible. I think that the right hon. Gentleman knows as well as I do that this is a formidable problem, and I want a really first-class detailed report which tries to sift the matter to the bottom. Probably the difference between us is that I am prepared to wait and the right hon. Gentleman is not.