HC Deb 12 July 1978 vol 953 cc1487-9
6. Mr. Newens

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, if he will make a statement of his policy towards prevention of coastal erosion.

Mr. Shore

My Department examines schemes submitted by the maritime district councils under the Coast Protection Act 1949 to ensure that they satisfy certain requirements before loan consent is given and central Government funds are made available for grant. The most important of these is that the schemes should be technically sound and cost effective.

I have no immediate plans for a change of policy.

Sir Bernard Braine

The sooner we have a General Election the better.

Mr. Shore

The hon. Gentleman is behaving in a very intemperate way, which I hope no other hon. Gentleman will wish to emulate.

Mr. Newens

Is it not both astonishing and appalling that in this day and age no central records are kept of the amount of land lost by coastal erosion? Is it not a fact that loss of land in one area may be caused by natural or man-made factors in another area controlled by a different local authority? Is it not high time that some steps were taken to keep a centralised record and to monitor what is happening, bearing in mind the tremendous ravages of the seas over the centuries, which, even today, are making their effect felt, particularly on the east coast in Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk?

Mr. Shore

I certainly acknowledge, as my hon. Friend says, that East Anglia in particular has suffered from coastal erosion. I also accept what he says about the desirability of having a national survey of our whole coastline. I am afraid that I cannot tell him when it would be possible for us to embark upon such a survey, but I shall certainly keep it in mind.

Mr. Crouch

Can the Secretary of State say how the Government will conduct such a national survey when one part of the responsibility for coast protection and sea defences is in the hands of his Department and the other part is in the hands of the regional water authorities responding to the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food? Does he not think that the time has come when the Government should consider that the protection of our coastal areas from erosion from the sea and damage from the sea through storms should be in the hands of one Minister and one Minister alone?

Mr. Shore

This matter has been looked at previously and the general view has been that there is a distinction between flood control and coastal erosion. That is the basic distinction. I agree that at a certain point there is an overlap between the two. Whether this can be more satisfactorily sorted out in administrative terms or departmental terms is not exactly a matter for me, but, of course, I am quite willing to listen to any suggestion.

Mr. Watkinson

Does my right hon. Friend accept that in areas such as that of the River Severn, where there are problems of erosion, there is great difficulty in ascertaining responsibility for the problems of erosion? Does he not also acknowledge now that the costs of dealing with the problems of erosion are so enormous that we may have to consider some form of national scheme in order that the burden can be properly shared, as it is frequently beyond the capacity of riparian owners?

Mr. Shore

As I am sure my hon. Friend knows, there is a Government grant scheme, which is on a sliding scale, which can actually rise—depending upon the circumstance of the authority and the demands placed upon its ratepayers—to 79 per cent. of the cost of the work.

Mr. Ridsdale

Will the Minister pay tribute to the work done by voluntary associations at present, in view of the shortage of funds available for coastal protection? Will he say what the cutback by the Government has been in the last four years in terms of funds available for coast protection?

Mr. Shore

Yes, as a matter of fact I can help the hon. Gentleman with that figure. The expenditure in the three financial years 1975–76, 1976–77 and 1977–78 was £6.1 million, £5.4 million and £5 million. The hon. Gentleman will be interested to know that far from there being a cut-back in this current year, it has been increased to £11.9 million.