§ 6. Mr. Barry Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Wales when he now proposes to initiate the Dee Crossing Scheme.
§ Mr. Peter ThomasI have nothing at present to add to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool, Waver-tree (Mr. Tilney) on 1st March.—[Vol. 812, c. 1202–3.]
§ Mr. JonesWill the Secretary of State deny the statement that for the foreseeable future the Cabinet will not give the go-ahead to this grandiose scheme for this crossing of the Dee because it will not, or cannot, obtain the necessary financial support? Will he also deny the statement that, if there is to be any priority in regard to barrages across estuaries or bays, it will be Morecambe Bay that should have priority rather than the Dee Estuary?
§ Mr. Peter ThomasThis is a very important proposal, and a decision will be taken jointly by the Secretary of State for the Environment and myself after consultations with other Departments. It is a matter of considerable complexity, and, as I said previously, it would be wrong to rush into a hasty decision.