§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received from the Towyn and Kimnel Bay branch of Pensioners Voice concerning the Towyn floods; what steps he has taken to assure himself of the adequacy of the new sea defence system to prevent any recurrences of the disaster; whether any future steps are to be taken to rejuvenate the environment in the area affected by the floods; what investigations have been undertaken by his Department into the extent to which builders have exploited the flood victims; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. David HuntThe Secretary of the Towyn and Kimnel Bay branch of Pensioners Voice has written to me on several occasions.
Sea defences at Towyn are now being permanently strengthened by British Rail. The scheme has been designed by a leading firm of consulting engineers and the design itself has been model tested at a leading hydraulics laboratory.
Efforts to rejuvenate the environment continue. The Welsh Development Agency has already provided £500,000 of grant aid for environmental improvements and on completion of the planned programme will have spent some £1.2 million. In addition, the Wales tourist board has recently launched "Quest" (Quality Upgrading and Environmental Scheme Towyn) and several caravan sites have already shown an interest in taking advantage of £200,000 which has been targeted by the board at Towyn.
Significant numbers of garden grants have also been made available from the charity fund and the fund is still open for inquiries.
I understand that the Welsh Consumers Council is currently looking into the activities of private builders in the area.