§ Mr. Charles WardleTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action her Majesty's Government propose, following the recent publication of the construction industry research and information report entitled, "The Engineering Implications of Rising Groundwater Levels in the Deep Aquifer Beneath London".
§ Mr. HowardMy Department, which was one of the sponsors of the research and is the lead Department on this matter, welcomes the report and is examinig its conclusions and recommendations carefully. We have asked the National Rivers Authority advisory committee to arrange for the National Rivers Authority, when it is established, to undertake the monitoring and predictive modelling of the water levels and the publication of the results; to examine the potential for increasing water abstractions from the aquifer below London; and to examine the feasibility and costs of a permanent dewatering scheme.