§ Mr. Urwinasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he is now in a position to authorise commencement of work on the new Kielder reservoir project; and if he will make a statement.
§ Dame Irene Wardasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will now make a further statement on the Kielder reservoir scheme.
§ Mr. RipponI have decided to reopen the inquiry as soon as possible in relation to the planning applications and I have asked Sir Robert Scott to act as inspector for this purpose. I will be issuing a statement of the additional matters on which I consider that further evidence is needed. I will then expect the Northumbrian River Authority to provide, well in advance of the reopening of the inquiry, a statement of the submissions and evidence which it would propose to put forward. This will be widely publicised in the appropriate areas so that any persons who are interested will be aware of the inquiry. In addition, the planning authorities and, so far as practicable, the owners of land which might be affected by any of the76W alternatives will be notified. Depending on how long these steps take, I think it should then be possible to reopen the inquiry in June.