§ 18. Mr. Dribergasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he will now give an estimate of the total cost of the autumn floods; and what proportions of this cost were borne by Her Majesty's Government, by local authorities, by river boards, by private charity, and otherwise.
§ Mr. BrookeIn general I would refer the hon. Member to what I said in the debate on Thursday last.
126WIt is too early as yet to formulate any estimate of the total cost of the floods, or of the proportions in which the cost will be borne. Payments on account from the Exchequer to supplement local flood relief funds now total £215,000. Since I gave the figure of £209,000 in the debate, payments of £1,000 each have been made to Norton Radstock urban district and Bathavon rural district, and £2,000 each to South East Derbyshire and Dulverton rural districts.