§ Mr. Hooleyasked the Secretary of State for Energy what progress is being made with the evaluation of the Severn barrage tidal power scheme; and how much money will be spent on the study in 1979–80 and 1980–81.
§ Mr. John MooreThe Severn barrage committee under the chairmanship of Professor Sir Hermann Bondi was set up in August last year with the terms of reference described in the White Paper on the development of alternative sources of energy—Cmnd. 7236. The committee is proceeding with its evaluation and has recommended a comprehensive set of studies, which my Department is setting in hand. The committee has been allocated a provisional budget of £1½ million, of which about £1 million will be committed in 1979–80 and about £300,000 spent in that year. I shall await the committee's recommendations before deciding on expenditures in later years.