HC Deb 09 May 1990 vol 172 cc149-50W
Mr. Barry Jones

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make cash payments of £70,000 each to the north Wales sea flood inundation funds of Clwyd county council, Colwyn borough council, Rhuddlan borough council and Delyn borough council: and if he will make a statement.

Mr. David Hunt

The existing sea-wall at Towyn has now been repaired and strengthened to ensure that a breach should not occur again, even in extreme conditions. In addition, work has already started on the options for improving the defences still further and this will be taken forward urgently. My Department will be ready to provide resources towards any agreed scheme. This is in addition to the £12 million of work already planned in north Wales over the next few years.

The most important form of aid that the Government are able to give is, of course, aid under the Bellwin scheme and this is available to all the relevant local authorities in north Wales. The grant will be paid at the rate of 85 per cent. instead of the more customary 75 per cent. In addition the period over which it can be paid has been extended by a further three months to 31 July and we will review the position towards the end of July and, if necessary, extend the scheme still further.

The amount of money which will be paid under the scheme will be very substantial. Colwyn borough council has made a preliminary estimate of £1.25 million expenditure eligible for Bellwin assistance and if' this proves to be accurate it will result in a payment by the Government of more than £1 million. Further claims may well come in from Colwyn borough council and, of course, from the other councils in north Wales which have been affected.

There is a strange misunderstanding that the £150,000 donation which the Welsh Office gave to the appeal funds of the mayors of Colwyn, Delyn and Rhuddlan was the total amount of Government aid. It is, of course, only a minute proportion of the total expenditure in which the Government will be involved and the donation was made in the hope that it would encourage many others to make a similar donation. Never previously have the Government made a donation to such funds unless loss of life has been involved.