§ Mr. Ron DaviesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what progress he has made to date on the implementation of the mitigation measures associated with the Cardiff bay barrage; and what recent relevant communications he has had with the European Commission. [4745]
§ Mr. HagueThe establishment of the bird reserve compensation measures in an operational matter for the corporation, assisted by the Land Authority for Wales.
My officials have recently reported the following progress to the European Commission:
301 hectares (743 acres), that is over 75 per cent. of the land required for the reserve has already been secured by agreement and discussions are continuing on the remainder;a planning application is being considered by the local planning authority;the corporation has tendered the works contract for development of the reserve and its objective is to establish the reserve before the start of the impoundment of water within Cardiff bay in 1998.