§ Mr. Ennalsasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the current estimate of the cost of construction of the Yare barrier at current prices; and what proportions of this sum would come from central Government, the county council, the district councils and the water authority.
§ Mr. WigginThe decision whether to construct a Yare barrier rests initially with the Anglian water authority. If and when it decides to go ahead with the proposal it will no doubt submit an application to my Department for grant-aid giving an up-to-date estimate of the cost. The current rate of grant for sea defence works in this part of the authority's area is 85 per cent. The question whether contributions should be sought from other bodies cannot be considered until the nature of the scheme has been finally decided.