§ 25. Mr. Odeyasked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he will take steps to secure an early settlement of the claim of Captain Newlove, Bleach House Farm, Woodmansey, near Beverley, for repairs to his house and farm buildings caused by the extensive flooding of the land in March, 1950, for which full responsibility has been accepted by his Department.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterAs my hon. Friend will be aware, full responsibility in respect of this claim has not been accepted by my Department. Negotiations with a view to agreeing the appropriate figure in respect of certain issues are still continuing. I hope they will conclude soon.
§ Mr. OdeyWhy does my right hon. Friend seek to avoid full responsibility for this matter, in view of the fact that the new culvert that was built in 1950 is now, with his agreement, being replaced by entirely new drains, and that it is quite obvious that the new culvert was the entire cause of the trouble? Secondly, does my right hon. Friend not consider that a settlement of this matter should have been reached before 3½ years had elapsed?
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterThe reason I do not accept full responsibility is that in proceedings which were brought by the gentleman in question the action was compromised on terms agreed by him, which did not involve acceptance of full responsibility. It was settled just over a year ago. Discussion has taken place between experts on technical points, and I should not like to express an opinion as to where the responsibility for the delay lies.
§ Mr. OdeyIn view of the unsatisfactory nature of the reply, I beg to give notice that I shall raise the matter on the first opportunity on the Adjournment.