§ Mr. BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make available funds towards the repair of listed buildings and other buildings in the conservation area of Lewes affected by the recent flooding. [136569]
§ Ms Beverley Hughes[holding answer 6 November 2000]: Emergency financial assistance is available for local authorities under the Bellwin scheme to help with uninsurable clear-up costs following a disaster or emergency in their area which involves destruction of, or danger to, life or property.
Government compensation is not generally available to private household or businesses following storms and flooding. These are insurable risks, and successive Governments have taken the view that to underwrite insurable costs would remove any incentive for people to take out appropriate insurance cover and would penalise those who had acted prudently.
Bellwin schemes are intended to prevent an undue burden falling on local taxpayers as the result of local authorities taking immediate action to safeguard life or property, or to prevent suffering or severe inconvenience, in their area or among its inhabitants. Grant is normally paid at a rate of 85 per cent. on authorities' qualifying expenditure above a threshold but for the present emergency grant will be paid at 100 per cent. of amounts above the threshold. The threshold is the provision that a prudent authority might reasonably be expected to make for contingencies and emergencies (approximately 0.2 per cent. of its revenue budget).
345WIn the case of the recent flooding the following adaptations to the Bellwin scheme will apply:
assistance under Bellwin will be available for all authorities making valid claims resulting from the October/November floods and storms;Government support above the threshold will be increased from 85 per cent. to 100 per cent. but there is no change to the 0.2 per cent. threshold or to the definition of eligible costs;valid claims will be settled within 15 working days of receipt by the Department of a valid grant claim form;claims for payments in advance of audit reports being received by the Department may be made; andclaims for grant of less than £10,000 will be accepted on presentation of details of expenditure certified by the Chief Financial Officer and will not require a separate audit report.Lewes District Council inquired about assistance under the Bellwin scheme the day following the initial floods. We are ready to trigger that assistance and officials await the detailed claim. We will consider all applications speedily and sympathetically against the criteria that apply in these circumstances.