§ Lord Melchettasked Her Majesty's Government:
What was the level of grant paid by the Welsh Office Agriculture Department towards (a) capital arterial land drainage and flood alleviation works and (b) capital sea defence works in each of the years since 1978, for each local land drainage district covered by Welsh Water Authority and for each internal drainage board in Wales.
Viscount LongThe rates of grant paid by the Welsh Office Agriculture Department under Section 90 of the Land Drainage Act 1976 towards the cost of capital arterial land drainage and flood alleviation works undertaken by the local land drainage districts of the Welsh Water Authority in each of the years since 1978 are set out below. Capital sea defence works attract a 15 percentage point supplement to these rates subject to an upper limit of 85 per cent. up to and including 1983–84 and 80 per cent. for 1984–85.
Internal drainage boards in Wales attract a fixed rate of grant under Section 91 of the Land Drainage Act 1976 for arterial drainage and flood alleviation works. The rate was 50 per cent. up to and including 1983–84 and is 45 per cent. in the current year. Sea defence works carried out by the Welsh Water Authority acting on behalf of the internal drainage districts within its area attract a 25 per cent. supplement. The independently constituted internal drainage boards within Wales do not have responsibility for capital sea defence works.
Local Land 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 Drainage District % % % % % % % Dee and Clwyd 71 73 73 72 65 62 66 Glamorgan 32 33 64 61 60 52 42 Gwynedd 80 80 80 80 65 64 67 South West Wales 44 34 36 49 51 50 51 Usk 38 42 45 54 61 56 63 Wye 75 69 71 71 71 72 66