6460. LORD JAMES OF BLACKHEATH: No; it comes from Chelmsford.

  6461. CHAIRMAN: The Isle of Dogs?

  6462. LORD JAMES OF BLACKHEATH: I am not sure where the borderline goes here and I have had nothing asked of me to do at Docklands but I think it is in fact part of the Bishop of Chelmsford's area. Anyway, the question I was going to ask—

  6463. MR CARTWRIGHT: My Lord, the barge in question comes under the parish of St Anne in Limehouse and therefore that may give you some guidance.

  6464. LORD JAMES OF BLACKHEATH: So I am off the hook; it is not part of my area.

  6465. MR CARTWRIGHT: I think it is the Bishop of London, my Lord.

  6466. LORD JAMES OF BLACKHEATH: Thank you. It will not alter my question, if I may.

  6467. CHAIRMAN: I suspect it is the Bishop of London.

  6468. LORD JAMES OF BLACKHEATH: Maybe my question first is to Mr Mould, if I may, but then I will come to Mr Cartwright. I may have missed the point at some point along the line but I have not quite understood the nature of this enclosed area in which the boats will be trapped. Does the water in that controlled area get changed on any regular basis or is it static for the whole four years?

  6469. MR MOULD: My recollection is that it does not get changed in the sense that there is no recharge or anything of that kind, but the water will be subject to monitoring to ensure that it remains at a requisite quality so that it does not cause damage to the vessels, and one of the things that the parties, I think, have agreed as a matter of principle in relation to preparatory works on the vessels themselves is that they should be treated with an appropriate—I will say paint; that is probably not quite the right technical term, but an appropriate paint or cover.

  6470. MR CARTWRIGHT: Finish.

  6471. MR MOULD: "Finish" is the word, which will protect them from the ravages of being effectively stationary for five years.

  6472. LORD JAMES OF BLACKHEATH: You have substantially anticipated my question but not wholly. My concern was that without a flow to change the water there would be nothing to carry away any impurities arising from the construction process getting into the water and causing the water to become noxious.

  6473. MR MOULD: I think that the chances of impurities from the construction process getting into the water are relatively remote because, as your Lordship will recall, there is going to be a dam between the construction site to the east and the retained water body to the west within which the boats are being located and it is obviously of the nature of a dam that it is reasonably impermeable so that the water stays where it is meant to be. I think the risk would be more likely to occur from the fact that the water itself will be static for a period of five years, but, as I say, my understanding is (a) that the boats themselves are going to be treated in order to protect them, but also (b) that there will be monitoring of the water quality during this period of construction in order to ensure that problems of the kind your Lordships has in mind do not arise.

  6474. LORD JAMES OF BLACKHEATH: My second question, and I think this is probably still with yourself, Mr Mould, or it may be that Mr Cartwright will volunteer to answer it, is whether there is any jeopardy to the economic viability of maintaining the religious services on the church boat arising out of the reduced usage there. Is this paid for by a stipend from the sea, or wherever it calls, or is it maintained by contributions coming from the boat itself?

  6475. MR MOULD: I am afraid you are pushing at the limits of my understanding of the position, my Lord.

  6476. LORD JAMES OF BLACKHEATH: Perhaps we could try Mr Cartwright again.

  6477. MR CARTWRIGHT: My Lord, first if I may return to the matter of the quality of the water, as I am going to be living in it, this is a very—

  6478. LORD JAMES OF BLACKHEATH: On it, I hope, rather than in it.

  6479. MR CARTWRIGHT: The boats do go down into it, my Lord, as well. On it I would prefer. However, I do believe that in other parts of the Canary Wharf and West India Dock complex, where the waters are somewhat contained and only small entrances exist, a remedy has been introduced of, rather like in a fish tank, blowing air into it to oxygenate the water to ensure that the quality remains good. I believe that, should that be required, then that is the remedy which would be considered.