§ Mr. SpearingTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library copies of correspondence between his Department and Messrs Halcrow concerning the East London river crossing.
§ Mr. AtkinsIt is not our practice to publish correspondence between the Department and its agents. If the hon. Member has any particular matter in mind, perhaps he would write to me.
§ Mr. SpearingTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what investigations have been made concerning the effects on the river regime, silt depositions, and scouring, and the consequences for dredging costs arising from construction of the new design of bridge for the East London river crossing.
§ Mr. PortilloOn our behalf, Hydraulics Research Ltd. completed a desk study of the likely effects of alternative bridge designs on the river regime as part of the review of the Thames bridge design. The results of the desk study are contained in annex F of the July 1989 report by Sir William Halcrow and Partners into the alternative forms of bridge design, a copy of which is in the Library of the House. Hydraulics Research is now carrying out model studies into the location and effect of scour, change in siltation and in flow distribution to confirm the findings of its desk study.