Written question asked by Lord Goodman of Wycombe (Conservative) on Tuesday, 30 November 2004, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 6 December 2004. It was answered by Elliot Morley (Labour) on Monday, 6 December 2004 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Environment Agency is taking to dredge the upper reaches of the Thames.

Answer: Mr. Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Environment Agency is taking to dredge the upper reaches of the Thames. [201870] Mr. Morley: I understand proposed dredging works are scheduled to take place at Marlow Lock tail cut in the winter of 2005. This programme of dredging was developed in response to the findings of the Summer/ Autumn 2004 River Thames Reach bathymetric surveys. In line with the Mechanism of Flooding Report recommendations, the agency is currently reviewing its position on the options and case for additional dredging. This work includes: searching for new disposal sites for the dredging (including reprocessing), reviewing environmental implications and recalculating the potential benefits and costs to assess the economic justification of further dredging. This report will be concluded in spring 2005.

Secondary information