asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he is satisfied with the safety aspects of overhead electricity lines, particularly their clearance from the ground; and what information he has on the number of fatalities arising from farming operations coming into contact with overhead lines.
Yes. Overhead electricity lines are constructed to comply with the Electricity (Overhead Lines) Regulations 1970, but I keep the requirements of these regulations under constant review. Since 1st April 1971 there have been five fatalities caused by metal objects coming into contact with overhead lines in the course of farming activities.
asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he can give any information regarding the saving involved in installing overhead electricity lines compared with underground lines.
As costs of both overhead line and underground cable vary according to the voltage for which they are intended I can best express the difference in the following table, which is based on present costs in 1976, average topographical conditions:
| Voltage | Underground Cable cost per metre installed £ | Overhead Line cost per metre erected £ | Saving per metre by using overhead line instead of underground cable £ |
| 415-240 | 8·5 | 5·9 | 2·6 |
| 11,000 | 10·0 | 5·5 | 4·5 |
| 33,000 | 33·0 | 6·0 | 27·0 |
| (single circuit) | |||
| 132,000 | 250·0 | 25·0 | 225·0 |
| (double circuit) | |||
| 275,000 | 778·0 | 61·0 | 717·0 |
| (double circuit) | |||
| 400,000 | 1,540·0 | 100·0 | 1,440·0 |
| (double circuit) |