§ Mr. Maxwell-Hyslopasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether the Government will reimburse local authorities the cost of dealing with the effects of the blizzards in excess of a 1p rate; and whether these payments will (a) apply to both county councils and district councils, (b) apply to costs arising from flooding after the blizzard, and (c) apply to the cost of repairing the damage done to road surfaces.
§ Mr. ShoreI would refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend's statement to the House on 23rd February.—[Vol. 944, c. 1708–23.]
The Government will pay local authorities, both county councils and district councils, 75 per cent, of the amount by which their expenditure in dealing with the effects of the blizzard in the West Country exceeds, in each case, the product of a 1p rate. The assistance will apply to costs arising from the blizzard and from any resulting flooding. But I should make the point that the Government would not expect to pay assistance in cases of damage to local authority property where, for whatever reason, a local authority has refrained from insuring.