To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on the visit by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Worcestershire, South (Mr. Spicer), to Liverpool to hold talks with the Mersey Barrage Co. Ltd.

I visited Liverpool on Tuesday, 17 May, to make a joint announcement with the Mersey Barrage Company of a £1·3 million extension to studies of a possible Mersey barrage. The money will be used to finance further work on the engineering, economic and environmental aspects of the proposed barrage. Funding will be on a 50/50 basis between the Government and the Mersey Barrage Company.Whilst in Liverpool I also took the opportunity to meet members of the Mersey Enterprise Forum and representatives of the shipping and environmental groups whose interests are likely to be affected by a barrage construction.