NATIONAL WATER BOARD FOR WALES (Hansard, 6 December 1966)

§ Mr. Elystan Morgan (Cardigan)

I beg to move, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to establish a National Water Board for Wales. Every community, from the earliest times onwards, has probably been convinced of the significance of water in relation to its development. The ancients often worshipped it, and modern societies are assiduous in their search for more plentiful supplies. The demands of industry for water are ever increasing. A ton of steel uses about 250,000 gallons of water in the process of its production. In the domestic and agricultural fields and in the case of power stations and hydro-electricity plants, a rapidly growing demand for water is the hallmark of modern growth.

I envisage that there may well be developments in the not too distant future dedicated to bringing the conservation and distribution of water into public ownership. The concept of a Water Board for Wales is in no way repugnant to such a principle. Since 1964, the Labour Party has incorporated the establishment of Water Board for Wales in its official policy. I feel sure that there is a broad consensus of opinion in Wales which would welcome the creation of such a Board.

If I may indulge in an Irishism, water is probably the most inflammable topic in Wales today. In relation to water in Wales, there are some classic and monumental inconsistencies. In central Wales, about 95 per cent. of the water conserved belongs to authorities in England yet, in the neighbouring water zone of South-East Wales, where about half the population of Wales lives, it is calculated that there will be a shortage of about 175 million gallons per day by 1990. There are areas which suffer drought in summer and severe flooding in winter. There are localities where water rates are high, drainage rates inequitable and from whence tens of millions of gallons of water flow daily to England. The general rates paid in respect of water installations are often scant recompense in relation to the income derived from such water. In any event, a diminution in equalisation 1162 grant abrogates substantially the benefit derived from such rate payments.

This feeling of anomaly reached its peak some years ago with the drowning of the Tryweryn Valley, in Merionethshire, following a debate in this House when all Welsh Members either voted against the acquisition or abstained.

On 17th May last the Prime Minister made a statement in the House concerning Welsh water resources. The general effect of that statement is that the Secretary of State for Wales has a final veto over the development of Welsh water resources by any outside body. Whilst this statement was welcomed in Wales, it was felt by many that such a negative authority should be accompanied by positive power to develop in a comprehensive way the water resources of Wales for the greater benefit and reward of its people.

Such a view has been lucidly enunciated in the Report of the Welsh Advisory Committee on Water Resources in 1961. It is Cmnd 1331, and paragraph 78 says: … it is important that development of water resources should be conceived as a whole and that the legitimate interests of Wales should be safeguarded. Moreover, one must recognise that rural areas where large reservoirs have been sited have not always received adequate returns. There is a strong case for a system whereby a material benefit would be received by such areas in addition to the extra revenue they receive in the form of rate income. In the Measure which I am proposing the main provisions are as follows: first, that there be established a corporate Water Board for Wales, comprising of eight members, each to be appointed by the Secretary of State for Wales; secondly, that this Board should be vested with wide powers which will include, inter alia, the power to designate Welsh water boundaries. At the moment, five river authorities straddle the Welsh—English border. This is due to the fact that the Dee, the Severn, the Wye and other rivers have the inconsiderate propensity of meandering into England. I feel confident, however, that it is not beyond the wit of man to determine a reasonable division, and where appropriate a share of jurisdictions in this connection. The river authorities of Northern England end abruptly at the Scottish border, despite the fact that the 1163 Tweed, the Esk, and Lidell Water, do not fastidiously respect that boundary.

The Bill would also vest the Board with the right to charge a levy for water which is impounded in Wales by authorities outside Wales. The rate of levy would be determined by the Secretary of State for Wales following consultations between the Welsh Office and the respective Ministries of Housing of Local Government and Land and Natural Resources. The Board would then be empowered to use the proceeds of this levy for the benefit of the general catchment area in a variety of ways. It could, where and when it so wished, use the agency of the appropriate local authorities. This fund could be utilised for the fostering of land drainage, the subsidising of water rates and drainage rates, the abatement of flooding, the reclamation of bog land, and particularly for the general economic development of the area.

The Board would be given full authority over all Welsh water resources, and it would be responsible for the equitable sharing of those resources between one authority and another in Wales. The desperate scramble which might otherwise have ensued amongst certain authorities would, therefore, be avoided. The distribution of water in Wales would remain the prerogative of the existing municipal and other undertakings.

The Bill would be consistent with, and complementary to the growing recognition by the Government of Wales as a distinct 1164 national entity. Its provisions would not only promote the interests of Wales, vis-à-vis external authorities, but would also, I trust, inspire and initiate the rational and comprehensive development of Welsh water resources, thus fostering growth within Wales.

It is, I submit, a Measure which will enable the Welsh people to look on water not as heretofore, as a source of severe natural problems and bitter human relationships, but as an asset which would be developed for the substantial benefit of Wales and her neighbour alike.