Mr. Wm. Rossasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he is aware that owners of businesses in Londonderry which have been bombed out or otherwise lost their premises as a result of terrorist activity are sometimes refused permission to rebuild on the site of the destroyed building and that such persons can only get market value for the destroyed building in such cases and not reinstatement value and that this can result in severe financial loss to the persons concerned; and if he will take steps to improve this situation.
§ Mr. ConcannonSome owners in Londonderry have been refused planning permission to reinstate bombed property because it is situated in an area due to be re-developed.
The Northern Ireland Department of Housing, Local Government and Planning is aware of the difficulty in which this may place property owners. The balance has to be struck between the wish to reinstate and the need for comprehensive
AMOUNTS AND TYPES OF EXPLOSIVE MATERIAL IN LBS. RECOVERED FROM FINDS AND FROM NEUTRALISED DEVICES IN NORTHERN IRELAND By Month Commercial Gelignite Ammonium Nitrate based explosive Nitro Benzene based explosive Other forms of explosive material 1974— April … … 48 3,065 535 908 May … … 390 4,644 419 2,110 June … … 59 2,432 140 838 July … … 152 2,833 106 776 August … … 175 2,089 22 501 September … … 81 2,881 353 410 October … … 366 2,418 158 407 November … … 217 4,425 115 6 December … … 290 759 210 537 1975— January … … 258 1,572 133 206 February … … 591 1,997 67 745 March … … 60 1,027 226 914 April … … 44 60 119 26 May … … 76 — — 379 June … … 82 — — 1,966 July … … 50 369 — 1,280 August … … 242 1, 250 43 59 September … … 162 825 323 38 Notes:
596W
- 1. All except a few pounds of the commercial gelignite recovered was manufactured in the Republic of Ireland. Northern Ireland does not manufacture its own commercial explosive, however, and relies on supplies from the Irish Republic for its legal requirements.
- 2. The country of origin of the remaining three categories of explosive material recovered is not readily identifiable.
treatment to improve the whole city centre, but in the light of recent representations the Department is investigating the position in detail.
Where compensation for malicious damage to property is payable under the Criminal Injuries Acts, it is either determined by the court or, if determined by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, is subject to the applicant's right of appeal to the court. It is not intended that compensation should either enrich or impoverish the victim of damage.