§ Mr. Spearingasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what response has been made by his Department to the offer extended to him in December 1974 by the Dutch Government through the British Waterways Board and the Inland Waterways Association to assist with research into inland waterways; and what response has been made to the research suggestions made at that time;
(2) what action has been taken by Her Majesty's Government in respect of the undertaking given by the then Minister of Transport in August 1974, following the publication "Barges or Juggernauts" by the Inland Waterways Association, to initiate research into the potential for inland water transport.
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§ Mr. MarksThe research project which my hon. Friend had in mind in August 1974 did not develop as had been expected. The proposal put forward by the British Waterways Board in December 1974 was for associating the United Kingdom with research being undertaken in the Netherlands and my officials told the Board that the work in question seemed inappropriate to the circumstances of water traffic in this country.