§ Dr. David Clarkasked the Prime Minister what action Her Majesty's Government is now taking following the representations made to her by Cambridge Friends of the Earth with regard to the drainage scheme for Swavesey Fen.
§ The Prime MinisterI have received the representations from the Cambridge Friends of the Earth. I understand that the Swavesey internal drainage board started work on this scheme earlier this month. A meeting with statutory conservation bodies and the Anglian water authority was held in May to discuss the feasibility of amending the scheme which had been the subject of both a public inquiry in 1980 and of full discussions with the Nature Conservancy Council and the County Naturalist Trust throughout its design. A modification to the original scheme has now been approved by the Government that will allow the exclusion of Mare Fen and I understand that negotiations are now well advanced that should enable Mare Fen to be taken out of the scheme.
In these circumstances I doubt whether an article 4 direction is appropriate in this case.