Archive

1981 Apr 10 - 1983 May 11
Prime Ministerial Private Office files

PREM19/1014
Energy (The Severn barrage project)

Source: TNA, PREM19 series
Release date: 2013 Aug 1
Classification: Restricted
Page count: 82
Any docs withheld?

PREM19/1014 - download whole file (PDF, 12.37 MB)

Selections from this file

Showing items 1 - 6 of 6

Date Value Title
81 Apr 10 Fr Minor Energy: Howell letter to Heseltine ("Severn Barrage") ["I intend to publish the report as soon as practicable and meanwhile to announce receipt of the report and my intention to publish by means of an arranged Parliamentary Question - a draft is attached"] [declassified Aug 2013]
81 Jun 15 Mo Minor Energy: Howell letter to Heseltine ("Severn Barrage") ["Although the... [Committee's] work has covered... [2.5] years, at a cost of £2.3m, it was not able fully to examine the environmental, social and industrial aspects of a Barrage... We now have to decide what statement the Government should make on publication of the report"] [declassified Aug 2013]
81 Jul 15 We Minor Energy: Howell letter to Brittan ("Severn Barrage") ["This correspondence has now been going on for over a month and I can see no benefit in prolonging it further... I note your views, but my proposal has no public expenditure implications, other colleagues who have replied support it, and in my judgement it is politically the most appropriate action"] [declassified Aug 2013]
83 Mar 16 We Major Energy: Lawson minute to MT ("Severn Barrage") ["The alternative to the latest STPG proposal would be to kill the project. This, I believe, would be wrong, in view of the fact that the barrage is the only so-called alternative energy source which could contribute significantly to our electricity needs"; MT: "I have always found this prospect exciting and am pleased with the proposal"] [declassified Aug 2013]
83 Mar 23 We Minor Energy: Brittan minute to MT ("Severn Barrage") ["I would not wish to quibble about how [Lawson] disposes of £250,000 from within his agreed Departmental budget. But it is very important that we do not give any impression that we would support this consortium (or any kind of barrage project) thereafter"] [declassified Aug 2013]
83 May 11 We Minor Energy: Lawson letter to King ("Severn Barrage") ["[will] go ahead with my proposed statement... I see no reason why your suggestion of a parallel preliminary investigation into the environmental aspects... should not go ahead separately"] [declassified Aug 2013]