HC Deb 01 March 1976 vol 906 cc411-2W
Mr. Newton

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what he estimates to be the total refund to nationalised industries and other public sector bodies under the proposals of the Water Charges Bill; and if he will give any available details of the individual amounts which would be due to such industries or other bodies.

Route No. Scheme Title Expenditure in 1974–75 and 1975–76 to date £
A6 … St. Mary's Square Improvement, Bedford … … … 299
A6 … Sharnbrook Cross Vicarage Farm … … … 101,950
A6 … Wilstead Bypass … … … 330,341
A6 … Reconstruction of St. John's Railway Bridge, Bedford … … … 256,440
A6 … Clop Hill Bypass Stage 5 Roundabout … … … 70,000
A428 … Bury Walk Improvement, Bedford … … … 94,354
A428 … Kimbolton Road Gyratory System … … … 15,753
Ml … Toddington Service Area … … … 123
Various … Miscellaneous small improvements … … … 67,618
Maintenace including major resurfacing of Ml … … … 1,552,554

Non-trunk roads, including principal roads, in Bedfordshire are the responsibility of the Bedfordshire County Council.

Mr. Skeet

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what would be the cost of building (a) a lateral extension to Bromham Bridge, Bedford A428, (b) a new bridge alongside it and (c) a diversion route.

Mr. Denis Howell

The Water Charges Bill allows the Secretary of State to prescribe by order what refunds should go to bodies subject to special rating. This is necessary because for those industries—electricity, gas, the Post Office and the water industry—which are rated as a single cumulo in each rating district it is not possible to identify how much of the total rateable value relates to unconnected properties. It is intended, therefore, to calculate the refunds to those industries as a simple percentage of the charges paid and I am at present discussing with the industries concerned what the percentages should be. All other public sector bodies will be treated in the same way as other rateable hereditaments—i.e., they will have refunded all charges paid on unconnected properties, but no separate estimates are available of the cost of these refunds.