§ 116. Mr. Barnettasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will give assistance to local authorities to enable them to deal with the recurring problems of flood damage caused by acts of God, when the cause cannot be shown as the responsibility of any particular owner of land or property.
§ Mr. CrossmanI do not think that a regular arrangement would be appropriate. Many owners insure against the risk of flood damage, and this fact, as well as the scale of any disaster and the adequacy of local resources to cope with it, must be taken into account when deciding whether Exchequer assistance should be given.
As regards the present floods, I would refer my hon. Friend to the statement made on Tuesday by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Wales.