§ 2.40 p.m.
§ LORD WOLVERTONMy Lords, I beg to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government the number of schemes of water supply and sewerage, respectively, approved, the number completed, and the amount of Government grant paid in the financial year April, 1952, to March, 1953, under the Rural Water Supplies and Sewerage Act, 1944.]
§ LORD MANCROFTMy Lords, in the period from April, 1952, to March, 1953, 418 rural schemes of water supply and 228 of sewerage were approved. I regret that there are no records available to show the number of these schemes which have actually been completed. The amount of Government grant which was paid in this period is as follows: water supply, roughly £3 million; sewerage, nearly £2 million. The grant paid in the financial year is not necessarily applicable to the schemes approved and completed in that year: it is in respect of any schemes partly or wholly completed during that period, irrespective of the dates when work was started on them.
§ LORD WOLVERTONMy Lords, arising out of that Answer, am I not correct in thinking that there has been a great improvement between the years 1952 and 1953, although we still have a long way to go? Could the noble Lord break down the figures for England, Wales and Scotland?
§ LORD MANCROFTMy answer to Lord Wolverton's first supplementary question is, Yes, there has been a considerable increase. Speaking in very rough figures, the number of schemes have increased by about one-third and 592 the amount of money expended, or to be expended, has been nearly doubled. The answer to the noble Lord's second Question is also, Yes. I could certainly give him the breakdown of the figures into figures for England, Scotland and Wales, but as they are of necessity a little complicated, I will, with the permission of the House and the noble Lord, circulate them in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
LORD SALTOUNMy Lords, before the noble Lord leaves that subject, may I ask if he knows whether there are any uncontaminated water supplies still unimpounded for water schemes, and whether the Government have in mind the urgent necessity of trying to purify contaminated water supplies, rather than reaching out to take the last uncontaminated sources in Britain?
§ LORD MANCROFTMy Lords, if I may say so with respect, the noble Lord seems to have strayed a little from the Question put by my noble friend Lord Wolverton. I must beg the noble Lord's indulgence and ask for notice of the question which he has put to me. I will see that the matter is put to those who are more knowledgeable in this matter than I am.
§ The following are the figures referred to by Lord Mancroft:
§ Rural schemes of water supply and sewerage approved in the period April, 1952, to March, 1953:
| Water supply in England | … | … | 263 |
| Water supply in Scotland | … | … | 80 |
| Water supply in Wales | … | … | 75 |
| Total | … | … | 418 |
| Sewerage in England | … | … | 151 |
| Sewerage in Scotland | … | … | 50 |
| Sewerage in Wales | … | … | 27 |
| Total | … | … | 228 |
§ Amount of Government grant paid in the same period:
| £ | ||
| Water supply in England | … | 1,539,599 |
| Water supply in Scotland | … | 1,104,941 |
| Water supply in Wales | … | 262,583 |
| Total | … | £2,907,123 |
| £ | ||
| Sewerage in England | … | 1,451,280 |
| Sewerage in Scotland | … | 234,858 |
| Sewerage in Wales | … | 209,000 |
| Total | … | £1,895,138 |