§ Mr. Don FosterTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department by what date councils which incurred costs in respect of Kosovan refugee reception centres(a) will receive details of the revised format for the submission of costs, (b) be expected to make their submissions and (c) receive reimbursements; if reimbursements to councils will include loss of interest; and if he will make a statement. [98533]
§ Mr. StrawProposals for a Special Grant to reimburse English local authorities for additional expenditure incurred in connection with the acceptance of displaced persons from Kosovo under the United Nations High Commission for Refugees Humanitarian Evacuation Programme, were circulated to local authorities for consultation on 17 November.
The consultation period will end in December. The aim is that the Grant Report will be laid before Parliament around the turn of the year. On current plans, local authorities would submit claims to the Home Office by the end of February 2000 for relevant expenditure in the period to December 1999. Those claims will be paid in the current financial year. An audited claim for the full financial year will be submitted as soon as the authority is in a position to do so at the end of the financial year and any outstanding balance of grant will then be paid. The Special Grant will meet all relevant expenditure which the authority demonstrates was additional but it will not meet claims for loss of interest.