§ Mrs. Millie Millerasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will now make a statement on the current state of proposals for the proposed seaport at Maplin Sands.
§ Mr. Moateasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the current position with regard to proposals for a seaport at Maplin; what is the policy of the Government with regard to such development; what representations he has had from the Port of London Authority on the project; and if he will make a statement.
§ Dr. GilbertI understand that the Port of London Authority regards development at Maplin as a project for the longer term and that it considers that its immediate needs will be met by the construction of a riverside berth at Tilbury, which I have recently authorised. Evidence of customer demand and commercial viability would be needed to support any application for authorisation of a Maplin seaport under the Harbours Act 1964.
114W
§ Mr. Tebbitasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will break down the global sum of £2.3 million, being the stated cost of writing off expenditure on the Maplin project, to show upon what that money has been spent.
§ Mr. ShoreThe Maplin Development Authority's Debt comprises an initial debt to the Secretary of State, covering research and planning carried out before the authority was established on 25th October 1973, and expenditure subsequently incurred by the authority. With the latest interest payment, on 25th April, the debt now amounts to over £2.4 million, broken down as follows:
Initial debt £ £ Site investigations 237,305 Sea wall trials, design and materials investigation 258,088 Hydraulic Research Station model building and studies 545,306 Land survey platform 56,412 Wildlife studies 34,200 Staff costs 47,389 Miscellaneous 31,651 1,210,351 Expenditure by the Authority (i)25th October 1973 to 31st March 1975: Research and planning 464,360 Head office expenses 214,005 Interest 269,558 (ii)31st March 1975 to 25th April 1976: Auditors fees 756 Compensation to former members 24,140 Interest 259,913 1,232,732 Total £2,443,083 Further details of expenditure over the period 25th October 1973 to 31st March 1975 are given in the Authority's annual reports and accounts. Those for 1973–74 were laid before Parliament on 12th June 1974 and those for 1974–75 on 12th January this year.