§ LORD DAVIES OF LEEKMy 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 whether they will delay the signing of the Anglo-French Treaty for the Channel Tunnel at least six months, in order that the public and Parliament may have ample opportunity to study the technical data and the financial implications of all the documentation promised in the Green Paper—this being necessary to make an informed appraisal of the project.
§ LORD MOWBRAY AND STOURTONNo, my Lords. As my noble friend Lord Sandford said in reply to the noble Lord. Lord Beswick, on May 23, it is the Government's hope and expectation that the programme to which we are working can be kept. The key results of the studies are now available and some other documentation promised in the Green Paper has already been published. A more detailed report by the consultants should be ready next week. Copies will be put in the Printed Paper Office.
LORD DAVIES or LEEKMy Lords, is the noble Lord aware that, in my estimation at least, this is a sad commentary on the Government's attitude to a most important step being taken on behalf of the British people? Furthermore, is he aware that at this juncture this expenditure out of public money may not be justified? Thirdly, is he aware that according to Section 7 of the 1875 Act which established the Channel Tunnel concept unless the land is appropriated in the first year no further action can be taken without a further Act of Parliament? Consequently, is the noble Lord aware that if those concerned want to proceed under the Act of 1875 to acquire 12 more land, as they will want to, it will be necessary for another Bill to me before this House? In view of this logica approach to my supplementary question, will the noble Lord ask the Government to alter their dictatorial mind?
§ LORD MOWBRAY AND STOURTONMy Lords, I am afraid that the logical mind of the noble Lord, Lord Davies of Leek, has me completely beat. All I can assure the noble Lord and the House is that we are pressing on with all the relevant information and we want it to be as full and accurate as possible. It will be for the House to decide whether the information is sufficient and in time.
§ LORD AVEBURYMy Lords, does not the noble Lord consider that the time scale is impossibly short? He has told the noble Lord, Lord Davies of Leek, that full information will be published only next week, and as I understand it the Treaty has to be signed on July 31. How can the noble Lord say it is possible to arrange a debate within the crowded timetable of this House and of another place so that the full views of honourable Members and noble Lords can be ascertained after full consideration of the representations that may be made to them by technically qualified people in other fields? Here I am thinking particularly of the European Ferries, whose chairman has published a full refutation of the Government's Green Paper. Does the noble Lord not think that by means of a delay, such as the noble Lord, Lord Davies of Leek has suggested, the Government will be able to take account of all sorts of different views, and that perhaps wasteful expenditure, as in the case of Concorde, which was decided in much too great a hurry, could be avoided in yet a third case involving hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayers' money?
§ LORD MOWBRAY AND STOURTONMy Lords, a lot of the information that will be available to the House in the next few days is already available to the Government. and the Government's thinking is already being formulated and will be before the House and the country as soon as possible.
§ LORD DAVIES OF LEEKMy Lords, may I ask the noble Lord whether he will kindly arrange to have deposited in 13 the Library of your Lordships' House the document which was presented to the clerk of the peace at Maidstone in 1875, when the Act was passed showing the lands acquired, and which noted that if any further lands were required they could only be acquired by an Act of Parliament, which again increases the difficulty confronting Parliament? Could we have one copy at least of those documents in the Library of your Lordships' House?
§ LORD MOWBRAY AND STOURTONMy Lords, I cannot guarantee that that could be done, but I will certainly inquire as to the possibility and let the noble Lord know the answer.
§ LORD AVEBURYMy Lords, I apologise for prolonging this Question, but I did ask the noble Lord what opportunity there would be for a debate in your Lordships' House prior to July 31, so that we could express an opinion on the documentation which is to be laid before us next week.
§ LORD MOWBRAY AND STOURTONMy Lords, we have already had a debate on the general principle, and before the House finally decides the matter there will be presented a Government Bill, the Second Reading of which will provide an opportunity for a general debate.
§ LORD PARGITERMy Lords, is the House to assume from the noble Lord's previous Answer that the material already available to the Government has enabled them to formulate their decision in regard to policy? Is this taking into account the wishes of the House?
§ LORD MOWBRAY AND STOURTONMy Lords, I merely said that we are formulating our opinions at this moment, and that they will be announced in due course in a Government Paper.