§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Secretary of State for Wales whether charges are made to local authorities for the use of troops in dealing with the snow emergency in (a) Wales generally and (b) Mid Glamorgan; and what is the basis of such charges.
§ Mr. Nicholas EdwardsIf a local authority requests military assistance in a civil emergency, then charges for the assistance are normally made on the basis of the extra costs incurred by the military during the operation. It is too early to say what the extra costs may be in respect of the present snow emergency.
Local authorities can, of course, include charges of this kind in their reckoning of exceptional expenditure in connection with Government financial aid in respect of the emergency.