§ Dame Janet FookesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if the city of Plymouth will be eligible for assistance under the Bellwin scheme following severe storm damage on 25 January;
(2) what practical steps he is taking to advise local authorities of help available in the wake of severe storm damage.
§ Mr. David HuntMy Department wrote on 26 January to all local authorities in England to notify them that the Bellwin scheme for special financial assistance to authorities in emergencies had been activated. We have written again today with full details of the operation of the scheme and application forms. A copy of our letter has been placed in the Library of the House.
The scheme covers the cost of emergency work resulting from the storms of 16 and 17 December and 25 January, and also the floods in the Severn valley, which began on 29 January. If the city of Plymouth has incurred eligible expenditure above a threshold equivalent to a 0.15p rate, it will qualify for assistance under the scheme.