§ LORD MANCROFTasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have finally decided against the Thames Barrage Scheme and whether they will issue a White Paper setting out the reasons for that decision.
§ LORD LINDGRENA Thames Barrage scheme will always have attractions, and no decision on such a matter can ever be final. Her Majesty's Government's view is that the potential advantages of such a scheme, in respect of such matters as flood prevention and amenity, are heavily outweighed by its disadvantages, most notably in regard to the grave interference which a barrage would impose on the operation of the Port of London.
The arguments on both sides have been published, and in the view of Her Majesty's Government no useful purpose would therefore be served by the issue of a White Paper.
House adjourned at twenty-five minutes before six o'clock.