§ 77. Mr. Peter Freemanasked the Minister of Fuel and Power in view of the growing shortage of all forms of fuel and power, what progress has been made in the proposal for a Severn barrage; and when he will be in a position to authorise this scheme.
§ 79. Mr. Awberyasked the Minister of Fuel and Power if, in view of the development in the use of electricity for domestic and industrial purposes, he will now give consideration to the revival of the Severn Barrage Scheme which has been worked out in all its details and is now awaiting implementation by the Government.
§ Mr. Joynson-HicksJudgment on the economic and technical soundness of this scheme must await the outcome of research now being conducted by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. Results of preliminary experiments with a small model are expected by the end of the year and a building to house a larger model should be ready about the same time. But I have been warned that there are many technical difficulties to be overcome and that early results cannot be expected from the further experiments that will be necessary.