HL Deb 03 April 1962 vol 239 cc93-5

2.46 p.m.

LORD CONESFORD

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

[The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what research they are undertaking, and through what agencies, to discover means of carrying electricity underground economically; and what progress has been made.]

THE MINISTER WITHOUT PORTFOLIO (LORD MILLS)

My Lords, such research is the responsibility of the Electricity Council and the Boards, in consultation with my right honourable friends the Minister of Power, for England and Wales, and the Secretary of State for. Scotland. Some related researches are carried out by the universities and by the Electrical Research Association, which receives a grant from Her Majesty's Government and financial support from the industry. The Electricity Council and the Boards are seeking to reduce the cost of moving electricity underground by using alternative insulating materials and by research to discover what cheaper cables and methods of installation might be suitable. While it is hoped that the wide difference in cost might be reduced, there is no real prospect that the use of underground cables will ever be as cheap as overhead lines, especially at high voltages.

LORD CONESFORD

My Lords, may I thank my noble friend for that Answer, and, in view of the importance of this question to the future of the countryside, ask him these further questions? Are Her Majesty's Government kept informed of the progress of research in other countries, and will my noble friend consider, perhaps in consultation with my noble and learned friend the Minister for Science, whether anything can be done to accelerate research in this country?

LORD MILLS

My Lords, the question of research into this matter is reported upon from time to time by the Minister of Power's Advisory Council on Research. They of course take into account in their examination what is going on in other countries. The Minister for Science already supports the Electrical Research Association and makes a substantial grant to their work, so I think the noble Lord can rest assured that every aspect of this matter is under constant review.

LORD LINDGREN

My Lords, would not the noble Lord agree that the implementation of the results of research depends upon the availability of capital resources, and is not the recent Government decision to require the Electricity Board to provide its future capital out of revenue likely to be a handicap to provision of the heavy capital costs that underground cable laying might involve?

LORD MILLS

My Lords, the position here is that the electricity authorities, particularly in the local distribution of electricity, have already spent very large sums of money in putting cables underground. The difference in cost between putting them underground and overhead is so great that it is in the interests of everyone to have the greatest research possible into this subject, even with a view to curtailing present expenditure. But I can assure the noble Lord that, even in regard to the high-voltage cables, a great deal of research is going on. If the noble Lord would be interested, I should be glad to send him the remarks which Sir Christopher Hinton has made on this subject from time to time.

LORD REA

My Lords, would the noble Lord make those remarks more generally available than to one noble Lord, as they are of great interest to everyone in the country? Do they reveal the great differences in the expense of putting lines underground in the granite in the Lake District and in the softer ground in the South country, bearing in mind that the public would like to see some further expenditure on these amenities, if possible?

LORD MILLS

I will certainly make available such information as there is on the subject. Sir Christopher Hinton's remarks, to which I referred, of course deal with the subject in a general way and show the enormous disparity between the cost of laying cables underground and above the ground. Above the ground the air is a cheap insulator, whereas in every other form of laying, the cable has to be laid in the ground and insulation and other costs are really very great.