§ 32. Mr. T. WILLIAMSasked the Minister of Health what assistance has been given or promised by has Department towards exceptional expenditure incurred by local authorites in flooded areas?
§ Mr. E. BROWNAs my right hon. Friend has previously intimated to the hon. Member, there are no funds at his disposal from which assistance can be given towards expenditure of this kind.
§ Mr. WILLIAMSIn districts where a large number of towns and houses were flooded and no rents were received for two or three weeks, will the Department be in a position to help the local authorities?
§ Mr. BROWNThe hon. Member knows that miscellaneous expenditure for cleaning houses would be borne on the district rate, and expenditure for the relief of sufferers would be borne on the county rate. Remedial works to prevent recurrencies would be carried out under the Land Drainage Act which is administered by the Ministry of Agriculture. Outside those sources, no funds are available.
§ Mr. WILLIAMSI was referring exclusively to the question of rent during the time that the tenants were de-housed.
§ Major COLFOXIs not the fact that recently-built council houses were flooded in large numbers a glaring instance of the folly of town planning?
§ 45. Mr. WILLIAMSasked the Minister of Agriculture if he can now state how many acres of agricultural land were flooded in the Doncaster-Thorne areas during the recent floods, and the average length of time the floods remained?
§ The MINISTER of AGRICULTURE (Sir John Gilmour)I understand that approximately 11,000 acres of agricultural land in the Doncaster-Thorne areas were flooded during the recent floods. About one-half of this area was flooded for 14 days, and the other half for varying periods up to 14 days.