§ Mr. Hurdasked the Minister of Agriculture what further measures he proposes to take to ensure the restoration of all East Coast sea defences.
§ Sir T. DugdaleWe have closed nearly all the gaps in our defences and are now engaged in strengthening them to withstand the storms and high tides that may be encountered in the next few weeks. I. should like to pay a warm tribute to the river board engineers who have planned and directed this work. The country owes a great debt to them for their untiring energy and resourcefulness.
Between now and autumn we have to restore our defences along 1,000 miles of coastline and make them strong and ready to withstand the tides and storms of next autumn and winter. In six or seven months we must plan and carry out works that would normally be spread over many years.
The Government have decided to pay the full cost of all sea defence works undertaken before the end of September that are required so as to provide the same standard of protection as existed before the 31st January. Where 65W important industrial plants or large numbers of dwelling houses are affected, we cannot take risks and must forthwith plan to give greater protection than existed before. In such cases we shall negotiate an appropriate rate of grant with the river board.
While the work of strengthening the sea walls is going on continuously my Department and river boards are working speedily together in completing plans for more permanent works and putting them into execution. I am setting up an inter-Departmental Working Party to speed up the help that other Departments may be able to give and that any problems the works may raise for them are swiftly resolved.
When these plans are ready, there must be no delay in acting on them, and a Bill will be introduced shortly to give river boards special emergency powers until the end of this year to acquire land for erecting sea defences and flood embankments and, where necessary, for securing clay or other material to build them.