§ 84. Viscount Cranborneasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will take steps to provide financial aid to improve the sea defences of Chiswell.
§ Mr. WigginResponsibility for deciding on the nature and timing of sea defence works rests with the land drainage authorities.
There are two separate sea defence problems at Chiswell. The first is to control the flooding caused by heavy seas which frequently break over and percolate through the shingle defences. This is being dealt with by the Wessex water authority, which is carrying out an improvement scheme estimated to cost over £350,000. The second and more intractable problem is to defend the village against exceptionally high waves of the kind which caused serious damage 666W in February this year. This problem is being studied by consultants commissioned by the Weymouth and Portland district council at an estimated cost of £120,000. In the meantime, emergency works costing £30,000 have restored the profile of the beach. All this expenditure has been or is being grant-aided by my Department.
The question whether any additional work should be carried out on the defences will be for decision by the water authority and the council when the consultants' report is received.