Part of the debate – in the House of Commons am 12:00 am ar 5 Rhagfyr 1973.
Indeed, and that is the main reason why we are in favour of a rail-only tunnel and not a tunnel which will increase the amount of traffic using petrol and oil. It is the reason why we object to the present proposals. We know without doubt that in future oil will not be cheap or plentiful, as any London Member of Parliament will know at present.
In the last debate on this subject I questioned whether, if petrol were to cost, say, £2 a gallon, holidaymakers would still be prepared to take their cars to the Continent for touring holidays rather than to take, say, package holidays in Majorca. Six weeks ago people might have thought that remark somewhat unrealistic, but I wonder how many people today would be prepared to say that by the time the tunnel is built petrol will not cost as much as £2 a gallon. People are already talking about petrol costing £1 a gallon in the New Year. If fuel is to be so expensive, will people still be prepared to take their cars on holiday with them, or will holiday traffic still remain of the same nature? Will so much freight still be carried by road? These are important factors which the Government must note and to which they must give urgent consideration.
An energy commission should have been established to review energy resources and to evaluate large-scale projects such as the Channel Tunnel, Maplin and so on. It is vital that we should begin to look for other sources of energy and ensure that they are developed. We cannot continue to rely on diminishing fossil fuels. This might be the time at which to resurrect all the research carried out on the feasibility of a Channel dam. I am not advocating this idea in this debate, and I do not think that this is the time to go into details. I am only saying that considerable research has already been done into the feasibility of a Channel dam. Recent estimates have shown that the electricity generating capacity of tidal flow in the Channel would provide enough electricity to power, light and heat the whole of Europe. This is the sort of imaginative thinking—perhaps this is not the time to debate it—which we must adopt if we are to get to grips with the continuing energy problem.