HC Deb 28 January 1980 vol 977 cc471-2W
Mr. D. E. Thomas

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what requests for aid he has received from local authorities concerning recent flood damage in Wales; what funds these authorities have requested; and how much he will make available to these authorities.

Mr. Nicholas Edwards

The Welsh Counties Committee and the Council for the Principality made a general request when they met my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State on 11 January. I have also received approaches from two county officials, six district councils and one community council. I arranged for a letter to be sent to all county and district councils on 25 January giving guidance on the preparation and submission of claims in respect of the scheme of special financial assistance which was announced on 28 December.

Under that scheme local authorities will receive from the Government 75 per cent. of their additional net expenditure in excess of the product of a penny rate. Other additional net expenditure will attract rate support grant.

Sir Raymond Gower

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what aid the EEC will provide for victims of the recent flooding in parts of Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Nicholas Edwards

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment and I have been informed that the European Commission has granted aid of 400,000 EUA (some £264,000), of which it has allocated two-thirds to Wales and one-third to South-West England. It would like the aid to be rapidly distributed to the occupants of houses that have been flooded.

It has been agreed that the aid should be apportioned among the district councils in the areas concerned and distributed by them to qualifying households. Councils will be put in funds by the Welsh Office and the Department of the Environment as soon as possible after the full amount of the aid has been transferred by the Commission in the beginning of February. Parliamentary approval to this new agency service will be sought in supplementary estimates for Other Environmental Services etc., Wales and the Local Environmental Services etc. England votes.