§ Colonel Burtonasked the Minister of Transport whether his attention has been drawn to the failure of electric lighting in East Anglia during the recent storms as a result of broken overhead cables; whether he has considered the possibility of placing these cables underground to render them safer from storms and general vulnerability; and could he give any indication of the number of men who could be employed on this work?
§ Mr. BurginI am informed that owing to the recent exceptional weather there were certain interruptions in the supply of electricity in parts of East Anglia lasting from 10 minutes up to a maximum of just over 24 hours; with regard to the second part of the question, this matter has been carefully examined from time to time but I am satisfied that, apart from technical considerations, the cost would be out of all proportion to any advantage. The answer to the third part of the question is in the negative