HC Deb 07 February 1957 vol 564 cc88-9W
Mr. Gower

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what recommendations have been received from the Council for Wales and Monmouthshire about water supplies in Wales; and whether he will make a statement.

Mr. H. Brooke

In response to an invitation from my predecessor as Minister of Housing and Local Government, the Council submitted to him the following conclusions reached by its Rural Development Panel:

  1. "1. The Panel consider that there should be established an Advisory Water Committee for Wales to survey water requirements and resources and to advise the Minister of Housing and Local Government upon matters connected with the conservation and use of water resources.
  2. 2. The Panel also consider that water undertakers seeking powers should, in all cases, be obliged to proceed by way of water order and not by Private Bill, and that, if necessary, legislation should be introduced to make this possible.
  3. 3. Where an authority other than a water undertaker seeks directly from Parliament powers affecting water rights, the Panel consider that the Private Bill procedure should be amended so as to enable the appropriate Minister to arrange for objectors to the proposals to be heard locally and that the Minister's report on the Bill should include a resume of the objections so made.
  4. 4. Finally, the Panel consider that the establishment of a Water Board for Wales in present circumstances is not a practicable proposition 89 and would not, in any event, affect the position under which one water undertaker can seek supplies in another's area."

After careful consideration of these recommendations and after informal consultation with the Chairman of the Council and the Chairman of the Panel, I have informed the Council of my views in a letter as follows: As regards the Panel's first recommendation, the Minister agrees with the proposal that a committee should be set up to advise him on matters connected with the conservation and use of water resources in Wales. He considers that as a preliminary step it is desirable to set in train a technical appraisal of the water resources of Wales, and he is arranging for his engineers to begin such an investigation at once. The investigation will be addressed particularly to river flows, and storage and abstraction arrangements in the principal river basins; it will have regard to any sources already earmarked for specific purposes; and it will seek to show, in broad terms, the surplus resources which could reasonably he expected to be obtainable in each basin. It will be appreciated that complete information is not obtainable about river flows, and that a full investigation of sites for controlling works would be impracticable; and conclusions reached must therefore be provisional in character. It is likely to take about twelve months to carry out this investigation. Even though the proposed new advisory committee may not be able to discharge its main responsibilities until the results of the technical appraisal are available, the Minister thinks that it is desirable to appoint the committee as soon as possible, so that it may keep in touch with the progress of the survey and may advise, if need be, on any general problems which may he encountered by his engineers in the course of their investigation. A further communication will be sent to the Council with regard to the membership and terms of reference of the committee. As the Council will appreciate, the second and third recommendations raise important questions affecting Parliamentary procedure generally, and the Minister does not feel able, on the information at present before him, to pursue them further. It was understood at the informal discussion that the Council would probably feel that the appointment of a committee as proposed would go far to meet the difficulties which have been felt. The Panel's fourth recommendation is noted.