HL Deb 16 March 1971 vol 316 cc311-2
THE EARL OF LAUDERDALE

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 are the terms of reference of the MIDA study announced to the Press on February 22 and to Parliament on March 2, which Department of State will provide the study's chairman and services and which Departments will be represented on it.]

EARL FERRERS

My Lords, the study announced on February 22 will form an integral part of the Government's location of industry research, and the terms of reference are: to assess the likely long-term needs of bulk processing industries for coastal sites adjacent to deep water". Because the study is essentially concerned with industrial matters, the Department of Trade and Industry is taking the lead. The other Government Departments represented on the Working Group are the Treasury, the Department of Employment, the Scottish Office, the Department of the Environment and the Welsh Office. The Northern Ireland Government and the National Ports Council are also represented.

THE EARL OF LAUDERDALE

My Lords, in thanking the noble Earl for that reply, may I first of all congratulate him on the Government's decision to relate this study to the location of industry policy? May I ask him whether the study now proposed is not going to be rather cumbersome to the extent of delaying work; and could be tell us, since he assured us a fortnight back that work would start immediately, how many times the Study Group has met since the Government's decision was announced three weeks ago?

EARL FERRERS

My Lords, I do not think my noble friend is right in saying that the study will be cumbersome. The whole object of it is that it will be a quicker study than would otherwise have been used, and it will be more directly related to the Government's statutory responsibilities. I cannot give my noble friend the answer to his second supplementary question, but I will obtain the information and let him know.

THE EARL OF LAUDERDALE

My Lords, may I ask the noble Earl whether he is not aware that it is widely supposed that this Study Group has not yet met, and that some people are getting impatient to see work begun?

EARL FERRERS

My Lords, I was not aware of that, but I will pass on to my right honourable friend the views of the noble Earl, and will let him know what the situation is.

VISCOUNT ST. DAVIDS

My Lords, will the noble Earl speed this matter up a little, as this has quite an important bearing on what happens in relation to our next major airport? That the Port of London is slowly dying is clear from the fact that it is silting up and is becoming too small for modern ships. It is evident that if we are to have a major port in the South it must be something on these lines. Will the noble Earl consider speeding up this study so that it can be assessed in the matter of the Port of London and Foulness?

EARL FERRERS

My Lords, I can assure the noble Viscount that this study is being carried out with a degree of speed. The whole purpose of it is that it should be quicker than the previous study.

LORD SHEPHERD

My Lords, how can the noble Earl assure the House that it is being done with great speed when he was unable to answer his noble friend's question as to how often this particular committee had met?

EARL FERRERS

My Lords, the answer was relative. I do not think that speed can necessarily be judged by the number of times the committee has sat specifically in the last three weeks.