Orders of the Day — Channel Tunnel Bill

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons am 12:00 am ar 5 Rhagfyr 1973.

Danfonwch hysbysiad imi am ddadleuon fel hyn

Photo of Mr Peter Rees Mr Peter Rees , Dover 12:00, 5 Rhagfyr 1973

It is always interesting to respond to my hon. Friend's interventions, but it is difficult for me to speculate what a hypothetical Labour Government might have done in a hypothetical situation in 1973 or at any subsequent period.

I turn now briefly to what was said by the absent hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam (Mr. Tope). Having assumed the onerous responsibility of his shadow portfolio for the Environment, the hon. Gentleman has taken Kent and the South-East under his wing. I did not observe the hon. Gentleman at the various meetings that my right hon. Friend the Minister for Transport Industries had with the elected representatives who represent Kent in this Chamber and those who represent Kent at Maidstone. Therefore, he is not privileged to know the extreme care with which my right hon. Friend listened to our numerous anxieties and representations. I suggest that the hon. Gentleman be better employed representing the interests of Sutton and Cheam. He should leave Kent to those who represent that county in this Chamber. I hope that I do not speak too hardly about the hon. Gentleman in his absence. I am certain that the Dover Harbour Board and the Trinity House pilots will view with interest his suggestion of a Channel dam. On another occasion I should like to explore the extraordinary implications of that preposterous suggestion.

Having acknowledged the care with which my right hon. Friend has attempted to allay the anxieties felt by people in East Kent, I should point out that there will be, and are, points that will be thrown up by this great project on which we shall continue to require reassurance.

I was particularly happy that on the last occasion that we debated this great question my right hon. Friend assured us that he personally would come down to East Kent from time to time—to chair some kind of ad hoc committee—so that the problems which will inevitably arise can be anticipated and sorted out on the spot. To the people in East Kent that was a great reassurance.

I should like to give one example of a problem which has arisen on which my right hon. Friend's intervention and good offices might provide some reassurance to my constituents. Anticipating the course of the Bill, parliamentary agents acting for the Channel Tunnel consortium have served on various residents in Hougham and Capel-le-Ferne certain documents, presumably connected with the proposed compulsory acquisition of some of their interests in land. A lawyer looking at the fine print can detect that it is only the rights in the subsoil that are acquired, because the Channel Tunnel will pass under Hougham and Capel-le-Ferne at a depth of 300 ft. But many of my constituents living in those two parishes are not lawyers and have developed an anxiety about the situation. They wonder whether their homes and gardens are at risk. I am endeavouring to sort out the matter with the parliamentary agents. No doubt between us we shall be able to offer the reassurance that is needed.

Through my right hon. Friend I should like to suggest to the Channel Tunnel consortium, that this kind of problem which may arise in future could with intelligent anticipation be avoided. It could have sent the documents to which I have referred with a covering letter explaining in layman's English exactly what was proposed. I suggest, and have suggested by letter, that it could write to the Hougham and Capel-le-Ferne parish councils explaining what it has in mind and thereby put the minds of residents at rest. It comes as a great shock if people receive through the post an intimation that some part of their bits of East Kent are to be acquired for this project. There is always the lurking suspicion that an air vent will be sited in their gardens. I suggest to my right hon. Friend, so that he may transmit it to those who will be engaged on the project, that they should with intelligent anticipation avoid this kind of situation in the future.

I move to the letter of 17th November this year, which accompanied the treaty signed between France and England. Signed by M. Billecocq, it contains an interesting passage headed "Roads". It says: Each Government shall provide road infrastructure described in Agreements No. 2 on the terms set out in those Agreements.Each Government shall ensure that road users of the Tunnel will have access to its general highways system without having to pay any toll. That is a great point of reassurance, because it means that on arriving in France we shall not be compelled to pay a toll to join the motorway system.

The letter goes on to say, about the Governments of the two countries: Having regard to the need for the rail and road links with the Tunnel to be adequate to meet the requirements of Tunnel traffic, the Governments shall maintain regular contact and to this end shall set up appropriate machinery …". My question for my right hon. Friend is: what kind of appropriate machinery does he have in mind, and will local interests be represented in the matter?

My right hon. Friend has told us at great length of the great projects and developments that he has in mind for the M20. He has given a decision on the eastern bypass to Dover harbour, for which we are suitably grateful. But there will be other road projects which will inevitably become necessary as the tunnel develops. There will have to be lateral roads to enable transport to switch from the A2 to the A20. I have in mind the road from the A2 which passes through the village of Denton to Folkestone. Will that kind of road, which could well be developed, be under the aegis of the appropriate machinery—if appropriate machinery can have an aegis—and taken away from the Kent County Council? What subsidies might be available for developing this kind of road network?

We in Dover are concerned that the town, and particularly the port, should have an appropriate fast rail link to the rail links of the tunnel itself. After all, Dunkirk, which to some extent is in competition with Dover, will have a fast rail link to the tunnel. Will this facility be offered to Dover? It is extremely important that Dover should be able to compete on level terms. I have voiced this worry to my right hon. Friend before. He has given assurances, but this is a practical instance where his intervention would be of great assistance.

I have paid tribute to my right hon. Friend's sensitivity in the past. I hope that he will, tonight and subsequently, continue to be sensitive to the interests of the people of East Kent. We are after all being asked to bear the environmental and commercial brunt of this great project.