§ Sir W. Jenkinsasked the Minister of Agriculture how many miles of main rivers have been improved under the Land Drainage Act of 1930; what grants have been made in respect of such schemes; how many miles of internal drainage streams have been cleansed under this Act and the Agricultural Act of 1937; the grants paid in respect of this work, giving England and Wales separately, also the percentage grants for each scheme, separately; the number of schemes carried out by local authorities, and the number carried out by drainage boards?
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§ Sir R. Dorman-SmithUp to 30th June 1939, no schemes in England and Wales, estimated to cost in all £12,869,124 (excluding interest charges) have been approved under Section 55 of the Land Drainage Act, 1930, for grants totalling £6,656,954 (again excluding interest charges), the percentage of grant ranging from 15 per cent. to 75 per cent. I regret that it is not possible to make any division between England and Wales as there are three catchment boards whose areas extend into both countries and whose expenditure cannot be apportioned between them. I am not in a position to give the number of miles of rivers improved or to be improved, and any such figure would have little significance since a considerable amount of work on sea defences and pumping stations is included in the figures given above.
Four hundred and ninety-two schemes, estimated to cost in all £632,455, have been approved under Part III of the Agriculture Act, 1937, for grants totalling £266,415. All of these, with the exception of 29 schemes, estimated to cost £3,107 including grants of £1,036, are situated in England. The rate of grant for each scheme of stream clearing is 33⅛ per cent. and for each constructional scheme 50 per cent. Three hundred and ninety-two schemes, estimated to cost £611,996, were submitted by drainage boards and 100 schemes, estimated to cost £20,459, by county councils. I am again not in a position to give the mileage of watercourses improved or to be improved.