HC Deb 04 February 1953 vol 510 cc1859-64
The Secretary of State for Scotland (Mr. James Stuart)

Mr. Speaker, with your permission and that of the House, I desire to make a short statement dealing with the damage caused in Scotland by the very severe storm last Saturday.

It is with a proper sense of relief and thankfulness that I report that the storm caused much less damage and loss of life in Scotland than in England. I regret, however, to say that two fishermen were lost during the storm in Shetland; two members of the Islay lifeboat died while at sea and two other deaths are reported.

There has, I regret to say, been a certain amount of damage to houses mainly in the counties of Kincardine, Aberdeen, Banff and Caithness, but we have had no report that any of the damage is beyond the capacity of the local authorities concerned. About 150 people have been rendered homeless, but all these have been temporarily rehoused by the local authorities and most of them are returning or will soon return to their own homes. The biggest single incident was perhaps at Huntly where a hutted camp was destroyed and 37 people were rendered homeless. They have been temporarily rehoused.

There has been some serious damage to coast protection works. At Kirkwall a long stretch of sea wall has been badly damaged and a length of road rendered unuseable. Part of the sea wall at Banff was also destroyed and some houses were flooded, but the situation there has been already restored.

Damage to harbours has been reported in Orkney and Shetland and at many harbours on the north and east coasts. The most severe damage is at Whalsay in Shetland where a pier has collapsed.

I am sorry to say that there have been heavy losses to the fishing industry and over 70 boats have been damaged at places throughout Scotland. It is not yet possible to estimate the extent of the loss. The most concentrated damage was at Ullapool where 28 out of 46 boats were driven ashore. Two of these have already put to sea again and the Admiralty and the insurance company are assisting with local help in salvaging the remainder. One boat was lost in the Moray Firth and one off Shetland.

The reports which I have so far received indicate that agricultural damage has been light in comparison with that caused by the storm that hit the North of Scotland a year ago. There has, however, been extensive damage to woodlands in central and north-east Scotland, both in private woodlands and in the Forestry Commission's plantations. Here again, it will take some time to assess the full damage, but I am afraid that it is already clear that the process of building up our reserves of standing timber has suffered a serious setback.

There has been a good deal of damage to various public utility services including overhead electricity and telephone wires, but much of this has already been repaired.

The general picture is thus one of much less overwhelming and concentrated loss than in England, but there has nevertheless been widespread damage which it will take time to restore. I shall, of course, continue to keep in the closest touch with the work of restoration and to assist the local and other authorities in any way I can. I should like to pay tribute to the splendid work of all those who have dealt so quickly with the damage.

Mr. Woodburn

The House will join with the right hon. Gentleman in the somewhat melancholy satisfaction that the damage in Scotland is less than that in England. Nevertheless, I think he will agree that a great deal of this damage has occurred in a part of the country where the population are already in serious difficulty from the economic point of view. In the fishing ports that he mentioned, while the damage may not have been gross relatively speaking, the loss to the residents will be very great indeed. Can he say whether he has contemplated assisting these fishermen by replacing boats which have been destroyed and repairing boats which have been seriously damaged?

I was surprised to hear that the damage is described as being so light in his own area of the Moray Firth, for photographs in the possession of an hon. Member opposite taken in the constituency of Banff yesterday show in one village only half a house standing, and I gathered that the rest of them had been practically wiped out. The Banff gas works was strewn about practically in ruins. These photographs may have given an exaggerated picture, but I should be glad to know whether the right hon. Gentleman has heard of this particular damage.

May I ask one other question? I know that the coast protection works in Scotland are of a different type from those required on the coasts of England, especially on the east coast, but is it the case that any slow-down or postponement was ordered in the repair of Scottish coast protection works? If so, will the right hon. Gentleman reconsider any instructions of that kind, so that if there is likely to be a recurrence of this sort of thing in the future all steps will be taken as soon as possible to safeguard the dangerous parts of the coast?

Mr. Stuart

In reply to the last point on coast protection works, there has been no refusal to deal with any urgent works. There has not been in the past, and there will not be.

As to the damage to fishing boats to which the right hon. Gentleman referred, I presume that these boats are insured, but it is too early as yet to assess the damage. It is the case as the right hon. Gentleman said, that the gas works at Banff are out of use, but new equipment is being hurried up there and it is hoped to get this service going again in the course of a few days. Housing damage, as I indicated, has been of a general nature. I think that Huntly is the worst case of which I am aware. If not, I shall make a correction.

Mr. Hector Hughes

Will the Minister say what is being done to provide compensation or to raise a fund to compensate the sufferers in Scotland? Is anything being done comparable to that which is being done by the Lord Mayor of London?

Mr. Stuart

My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister indicated the day before yesterday that the Fund would be a national one, and that has been agreed. The money will, of course, be distributed in relation to the damage which has been done in various parts of the country.

Lady Tweedsmuir

Can the Secretary of State say whether local authorities may, therefore, conclude that where the damage is really extensive they will be eligible for assistance from the national fund and a Government grant?

Mr. Stuart

Areas where there is damage will be considered along with the other parts of the country where storm damage has occurred. As regards Exchequer assistance, my right hon, and learned Friend the Home Secretary dealt with the position yesterday. The position of the Exchequer in dealing with emergency and first-aid repairs was dealt with in the Home Secretary's statement.

Mr. Grimond

May I ask the Secretary of State a question about my own constituency? I appreciate that we have not suffered as severely as people in other parts of the country, to whom we should like to express our great sympathy. My constituency, however, is unfortunate in that this is the second hurricane of unprecedented violence which has struck us in a period of 13 months. There are three places which have suffered severely—Kirkwall, Stromness and the Island of Whalsay, a fishing community which is largely dependent upon its pier. I am afraid that the right hon. Gentleman will have to take steps through his Department to repair some of this damage and do more than merely rely upon the assistance of the local authorities. If necessary, will the right hon. Gentleman use the military to carry out any emergency repairs?

Mr. Stuart

We are taking every possible step to help. As to the emergency and first-aid work, I do not want to re-read the Home Secretary's statement, but the Treasury are prepared to help in that respect. The other work involving long-term restoration will have to be estimated, and I should be very glad to consider any assistance.

Mr. Spence

May I ask two questions, the first with regard to the accommodation of people affected by the destruction at Huntly? Will the right hon. Gentleman use powers to make a more permanent arrangement for accommodating these people as soon as possible? They are at present housed under only welfare conditions in one large hall. Will he do what he can?

On the question of afforestation and the damage to trees, will the right hon. Gentleman call a conference of landowners, the Forestry Commission and the timber merchants to see what can be done to deal with this very terrible damage amounting almost to 30 years growth of timber in the North-East? Will he arrange a conference to see how the situation can be saved?

Mr. Stuart

With regard to the housing situation at Huntly, to which I referred, I shall certainly do everything I can. I can assure my hon. Friend about that, With regard to the timber situation, this is perhaps the most serious case of loss and damage that has occurred for a very large number of years. It is undoubtedly very serious and it will disorganise the whole rotation of cutting and clear-felling of timber. I have already been in touch with the Forestry Commission and one or two other bodies, and I can assure my hon. Friend that I regard the clearing and marketing of this timber as being the first priority.

Miss Herbison

Since the people of Scotland who have been affected by this disaster face great difficulties even in normal times, will the Secretary of State for Scotland give us, first, an assurance that the greatest possible financial help will be given to these people, and secondly, an assurance that in finding the money for that financial help he will not raid another important fund as he did almost a year ago to give help to the people of the Orkney and Shetland Islands?

Mr. Stuart

I can assure the hon. Lady that she is quite wrong in saying that I raided a fund. I used money in the Estimates. It appeared as money which had not been utilised for certain services in the previous year. I shall certainly give all the assistance I can.

Miss Herbison

Is not the Minister aware that the money from the fund which he used ought to have been used by his Department, and the fact that it was not used caused great hardship to many places in Scotland?

Mr. M. MacMillan

The Secretary of State for Scotland laid considerable emphasis on the damage done to the fishing fleet. There will be some complications with the insurance companies, partly because the men had gone home and very likely, in accordance with custom, had not left an anchor watch on board their vessels. Owing to these complications with the insurance companies, it may be a long time before compensation is received. Can the Minister take some steps to ensure that gear and especially nets are replaced immediately in order to allow those boats which are still seaworthy to go to sea and get on with their job? If they cannot do so, there will be a great loss of money to this fishing fleet.

Mr. Stuart

As far as I am aware, the damage is more likely to be to hulls than to gear which would be inboard; but if there is loss and damage to gear, I shall consider the matter.

Sir W. Darling

Has my right hon. Friend any further information to give the House with regard to the disaster to the "Princess Victoria," sailing out of Stranraer to Larne, and how many Scottish lives were lost?

Mr. Speaker

That is another question. We have not had any statement about that today.