§ 19. Mr. Hoyasked the Minister of Transport whether he will now make a statement on the report submitted to him by the Forth and Clyde Ship Canal Group.
§ Mr. BarnesYes, Sir. I have given full consideration to the report, copies of which will be available in the Library of the House, and I have consulted the Secretary of State for Scotland. The group have carefully examined the question whether subsequent developments, whether strategic or economic, would justify any modifications of the conclusions of the Mid-Scotland Ship Canal Committee, which reported in 1930 that there were no sufficient grounds on which the construction of such a canal could be recommended. I share the finding of the group that developments since then do not justify conclusions differing essentially from those of the 1930 Committee.