§ 40. Mr. Swinglerasked the Minister of Fuel and Power if, in the proposed legislation on compensation for mining subsidence damage, he will include provision for compensating victims of subsidence for additional expenditure in which they are involved as a result of having to vacate houses seriously damaged.
§ The Minister of Fuel and Power (Mr. Aubrey Jones)Pending the publication of the Bill, I cannot add to the statement I made in reply to the hon. Member on 16th April.
§ Mr. SwinglerWill the Minister consider this Question, which would involve only a very small increase in the amount of compensation? Is he aware that there is a very small number of cases of severe hardship where subsidence renders dwellings totally uninhabitable and involves people sometimes in additional costs, the paying of two rents, removal costs and things of that kind? Will he therefore, between now and the publication of the Bill, give sympathetic consideration to this point?
§ Mr. JonesThese matters are being considered. Clearly, at the moment I cannot talk about technical details of an unpublished Bill.