Urgent Question on flooding assistance House of Commons

tackle this on a unanimous basis across Europe. Urgent question, Mr

Alex Cunningham. To ask the Minister to make a statement about assistance

from the EU Solidarity fund for flood hit communities. Thank you, Mr

Speaker. Mr Speaker, I first want to pay tribute to all those who have

supported many places that were flooded in December and early

January. The local authorities, emergency services, Environment

Agency staff, community volunteers and military and many others made a

significant contribution to supporting those communities

affected by the terrible events we saw over Christmas, over December

and through early January. The whole house will want to recognise those

that made the enormous effort that went into supporting households and

businesses, not just the initial response to the floods but also the

ongoing work to get residents back in the home and businesses open. The

responsibility for recovery, including the European Union

Solidarity fund, lies with DC LG. Officials in DC LG have worked hard

through that period but continue to work hard to support those

communities and those affected by those events. The Government

recognises the immediate priority is to respond to the urgent needs of

those affected, so we have already provided over ?2 million -- ?200

million to those affected by the floods to support recovery and

repair. The key aspect is the business recovery scheme, offering

readying support to local councils affected to in turn help

individuals, small and medium-size businesses and communities to her

return to normality. It provides property level resilience grants of

up to ?5,000 so people can protect homes and businesses against future

plans by putting in place resilient repairs. To date, under the

communities and business recovery scheme, the Government has paid out

?21 million. Desmond and ?20 million. Eva and we are also

supporting farmers with grants of up to ?20,000 to help restore damaged

agricultural land, farm vehicles, boundaries and drainage. Having set

out what the Government has already done, I want to turn to what more we

can do. I am today announcing the UK Government will make an application

to the EU Solidarity fund. The EU US air was set up to respond to major

natural disasters, the fund was created as a reaction to severe

floods in Central Europe in the summer of 2002. Since then, it has

been used for 70 disasters covering a range of catastrophic events

including floods, forest fires, earthquakes, storms and drought. The

only time the UK has applied for the fund was the flooding of 2007, which

saw widespread and significant damage across large swathes of

England. Member states have 12 weeks from the start of an incident to

register their intended to claim. We have confirmed our intent and once

confirmed, there is time to consider, with the commission, the

element of assessment. Following this process, the commission

assesses the application and if it is accepted, proceeds to donate.

Once the decision has been a bag of loot made, it is then paid out in a

single instalment. When aid is paid out, the affected state is

responsible for the implementation, including the selection of

operations and their audit and control. Emergency finance may be

used retrospectively from day one of the disaster but EU SF is not an

noisy design to be a rapid responses and for dealing with the effects of

a natural disaster. Grand can only be applied to the state following an

application and budgetary process which can take several months to

complete. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I thank the Minister and my fellow

Stockton MP for his response, which is extremely welcome today. And it

has taken an urgent question to get the information from the Government,

so I am delighted that you granted it. I know there has been

considerable confusion in Government for which department was responsible

for making the application and I've 1am absolutely delighted at the news

we have today. I was also pleased the Enviroment Secretary told the

House last month she was considering an application,

only to have one of her civil servants and so my letter telling me

it was a DC LG responsibility. We now know the answer, it is a DC LG

responsibility and I am glad they have taken it on. We know it is a

Government response was once ability to apply to the Solidarity fund,

getting communities the much needed funding to get their lives back on

track. The whole house knows of the devastation across the country over

the Christmas period and into the first months of this year. Recovery

costs in Cumbria alone are estimated at 650 million. Other estimates

suggest the clean-up bill will exceed ?5 billion. It is therefore

imperative the Government does everything possible to maximise

resources from all possible areas to support them. I was pleased to hear

the Enviroment Secretary confirm in a statement to the House on the 5th

of January that the Government will continue to do what it takes to get

these areas up and running and prepare for future events. But for

nearly three months, there gesturing at a willingness to support

assistance, the Government have been shy at submitting an application.

Members and constituents have been left in the dark as it appeared the

Government would fail to make an application for help from the EU

Solidarity fund, which was established to respond to precisely

such natural disasters as those experienced in Cumbria, Lancashire,

North Yorkshire and Scotland. The fund has been used by states across

the EU in response to 70 disasters ranging from flooding and forest

fires to have quake sandstorms. Just last year, Italy, Bulgaria and

Romania received more than 40 million in similar circumstances.

You will know that we on this site have been extremely anxious that

this opportunity could in fact be lost. To be clear, the first loves

for which an application could be first made for in Cumbria was 11 and

a half weeks ago -- first floods. It has taken the Government to one

single day before the deadline to confirm an application. We know

there are those that strongly believe we get little from the EU. I

am clear the UK should be embracing the offer of additional support,

particularly having paid ?300 million into the fund since it was

set up. Will the Minister outlined what discussions he has had across

Government and with local authorities in those areas affected

in the preparation of the application? Why have members and

communities been left in the dark for so long when it would have been

a boost to them to know that more help would soon be on the way? What

is the final estimate of the cost of the devastation suffered by our

communities and how much is Government bidding for? Is there

just one application or will there be multiple applications reflecting

the fact that a number of communities were affected and each

could qualify due to the level of devastation they have suffered?

Finally, I am aware that my Stockton neighbour and I will be on opposite

sides in another debate, that of whether or not we remain in the

European Union. Does the Minister not agree that it is fund is like

the Solidarity fund that can and I hope will ring great benefits to our

community is not just hit by natural disasters, but also to those like

his constituency and mine, where there are large numbers of people

suffering considerable deprivation. There does seem to be a fundamental

misunderstanding. The Government has been working on this application for

some time. You have to draw together a range of information across

Government departments talking with local areas, assessing the cost and

impact of events that have taken place. That is what we have been

doing and will continue to do. As more information comes through, as

we go through the process of supporting communities, we will

ensure the application is thorough, that it accounts for all

opportunities to add to it and recognise the damage done and those

discussions have been taking place across Government in the right way,

in the right time frame, so we were able to make the announcement we

have. I congratulate the officials in my department who have been

working hard on that and across Government departments who have been

working hard, to bring the information together so we can

announce the application has been made. It will continue to evolve as

more information comes through but as I said earlier, the European

Union Solidarity Fund is not designed to be a rapid response to

events of this kind. It is a longer term fund to provide compensation to

communities and even though an application is now being made, it

will take months for that money to be paid. We, though, will continue

in our commitment to support those communities, it is EU SF to provide

the funding and backing they need, as we have done so far to make sure

the communities affected by the terrible weather events we have seen

get the support they need to recover as quickly as possible. I would

gently say to the Minister and there has, in 2011, we suffered disastrous

floods in Somerset. We looked at this fund very closely indeed. The

Prime Minister and my local area. We made the decision it was not going

to be applied for at that time because it was too complicated, too

difficult and the benefit to the communities wasn't going to be

there. It doesn't matter, they can chant as much as they want on the

opposition benches. We have now made the area that was flooded in

Somerset save through UK funding. The proof of the pudding is this

year, we haven't even had to switch on the main pumps. It has worked.

You don't need this funding to do what you have to do to secure your

communities. My honourable friend has demonstrated an understanding of

the EU SF which is absent on the front bench opposite. It is a

complex fund. It does require a number of packs to be taken into

consideration, there is an administration process which will

take a long time and cost a significant amount. That is why we

had to do a proper assessment to understand whether it would be of

net benefit to the UK taxpayer to make an application before we could

make an announcement I can confirm today. That is the right process and

my honourable friend has demonstrated his deep understanding

from his own constituency experience and the complexity of the matters.

Can a welcome the statement, he talks about a rapid response. Where

was the rapid decision-making process from the government? I

honestly welcome it today, but it was not a difficult question. If you

have an insurance policy, of course we will cash it in, why would we

not? It is logical and sensible. Can I ask a couple of questions. In

relation to Scotland, has the Minister and his department on a

calculation on how much money will come to Scotland due to the Barnett

consequential is? And is this a timescale? The rapid response I was

talking about was the money the government made available, the hard

work done, particularly by my colleagues and officials in DEFRA,

the work that was stunned straightaway to support communities

affected by flooding. One of the factors that has delayed the

process, which has made it more fickle to process this complicated

application that underpins the Solidarity fund, has been the

information we needed from the Scottish Government. If it had

responded quicker, we may have been able to respond earlier. Hallelujah.

Hallelujah. Three weeks ago I asked the Prime Minister why we were not

applying for these funds. I am delighted we are now doing so. I had

over 300 of my households hit by the floods, a third of them are not

covered by insurance because of the high premiums and excess. In one

case, a business has been closed since Boxing Day, they have lost

tens of thousands of pounds, and still have ongoing costs. Hopefully

be able be open by Easter. Can he make sure that government ministers

will look again at the number of businesses that have been hit during

those floods, to see how much extra assistance, our money, we can get

them to help them back into business? There are thresholds that

have to be met, there is assessment of damage that has to be done. There

is no guarantee that application to this fund would apply and deliver

it. Nevertheless we have come to this decision. I am delighted it

pleases him. I would be happy to have discussions about individual

businesses, but I would remind him, regardless of what happens, the

government has made significant funding, which is available now. We

do not have to wait for this to come through. Speed is of the essence. I

constituency was not damaged in the most recent flood, but in the past

speed is of the essence. I have known people in my constituency

waiting not just months, but years to get that in their home to get a

decent standard of life. It is all very well for the Minister to be

uncharitable, and the fact is, people do not just want boots on the

day, they want action after the flooding. He is right, speed is of

the essence. The government has made ?200 million to areas affected, and

it was made available as quickly as possible. The support is there. This

fund will take time to pay out. That is the way that the process works.

It will take months from the date of application to come to conclusion.

We have decided to apply it because it is of net benefit to the UK to do

so. It is available straightaway. My honourable friend says this is an

important application that has been made, but can he put it in context?

Every day as British taxpayers, we pave ?50 million to the European

Union. How much does he think we are going to get back, to be or four

days contributions? My honourable friend makes this point better than

I would choose to do. The Minister has indicated the notification of

intent to apply at all stages. Surely this could have been done

weeks ago to get the process underway? When did he apply, today,

yesterday? How much does he think he will actually recover? What do they

expect to recover from the European Union for this, and is he aware that

the closure of one of the roads in Cumbria is causing massive impact on

the local economy. ?1 million a day. A massive impact on families and

businesses. The sense of urgency is lacking. Will he just get on with

it? I have to make clear that there is no guarantee that this fund will

bring net benefit to the UK, or that it would be possible to apply until

a proper assessment has been done of the levels of damage, whether we

qualify. Bat assessment has been done, we have announced over

intention to apply before the deadline, we will work through the

process to ensure the UK gets the maximum benefit that can be

delivered. Separate to that, the government is already doing what

needs to be done to support these communities. My honourable friend,

the Minister that DEFRA, has been doing work in Cumbria. As he knows,

to make sure they get the support they need, regardless of the

progress made with this fund. It will take time, but we are committed

to applying it. The UK paid 36.5 million into the EU stability fund

last year. The second-largest contributor, and we have only

cleaned once, and is our reluctance to claim as we do not get very much

out of it? We are paying into an insurance scheme that we cannot

claim on. He is right, there is an interplay between fans and what is

being paid out. It is a complex process and there are restrictions

on how much money released can be spent. We have made the assessment

and believe the fund will be of net benefit to the UK, so we are

announcing our intention to make that application. The announcement

is welcome but long overdue. What specific discussions has the

government had with local authorities in Scotland to ensure

the appropriate amount is sort for flooded communities? He raises an

important question. Much of this is a devolved matter through government

Scotland, but we have in discussing with them the information that

underpins the part of the application which applies to

Scotland. This is excellent news, and while I accept there are

complexities involved, what is unpalatable and a horrendous burden

for people in Calder Valley is the infrastructure damage and a

shortfall of ?15 million for future flood defences. Can hear sure the

people of the Calder Valley that this fund has been applied for soap

costs for repairs to infrastructure and shortfalls in flood defences

will be met by the fund or the government? He has been in one of

the most dashing he has been one of the most diligent and passionate

advocate since the storms in December and January. Hardly a day

goes by when we do not discuss matters pertaining to Calder Valley.

The government is committed to supporting these communities. We are

continuing to work with local authorities to make sure it is done,

and his representations have been helpful in the process of recovery

and I'm sure in going forward as well. I outlined at my Westminster

Hall debate last month the cost of the damage in my constituency and

the neighbouring Calder Valley. I have been clear about how much we

are hoping to secure. Through the assessments, can you give us an

indication of exactly what funding the value will be available? I would

put on record the appreciation for the constructive nature we had in

Westminster Hall, it brought out the best of this place when we bring out

the best we can. She will appreciate that we are at this stage of having

identified the reality that applying would be of net benefit to the UK.

We still have a lot of work to do to finalise costs and figures to the

commission, so I am not in a position to confirm what the net

benefit will be at the end of this process, but we will keep the House

updated. To not give false hope to the community is everyone is talking

about, he must see that there is no guarantee of us ever receiving this

process, when you get to the European process when we apply for

money to come back, it becomes even more complicated than the timeline

is extremely long. Could he give a rough idea as to how long the

timeline went on for in 2007, and also assure the communities that

there is money the government is spending that is helping them. This

is not a rapid response fund. This takes a long time to come through,

and the government made money available straightaway. Over ?200

million to the communities. I think what he says is very valid and

something that members opposite should listen to carefully and take

into account. We all welcome the announcement today, and we all felt

the misery of people affected on the TV screens. In my area, it is

vulnerable to flooding, so my constituents will be pleased to hear

this news, but they will be baffled as to why it has taken so long.

Given what a miserable experience it is to go through, it would have been

helpful to communicate the government's contention earlier, and

can you give assurance that if this happens again, funding will be

available in the future. I cannot give the assurance that the

government will always apply for the fund, because we may not always meet

the criteria to apply. But we will ensure the cost of delivering it

does not outweigh the benefit coming from it, including the impact on the

rebate. We will ensure communities get the support they need, more than

?200 million for the communities that need it. I welcome his

decision. Can he give an assurance that this application is successful

it will not be used to offset funding allocated from other

resources, and will improve defences along the Humber estuary and

elsewhere? We do not know how long this will take to be paid, but we

will ensure that communities get the support they need. The government

has made that available, and we continue to work with local

authorities to deliver it. We will keep honourable members updated as

we progress. Businesses in my constituency are absolutely baffled

as to why the government has left it until the 11th hour to get this

funding. Can he assure me that he will get the application in by

Sunday, and doesn't he agree with me that this is a great argument for us

remaining in the European Union? I am disappointed that local

businesses are baffled, but I'm sure she will explain to them the reality

of the process. This is not a rapid reaction fund. You have to make sure

you assess damage and meet thresholds. It is still a lot of

work to be done to ensure we fully understand and apply for every bit

of applicable damage that has taken place. We have announced that we

will undertake that process, and in the meantime we have already made

funding available. It will take months for this fund to be out.

Further to the point made by my honourable friend, could the

Minister please advise the House what support the government can give

small businesses and homeowners to improve Brazilians for future

flooding to prevent this from happening again? -- improve

resilience. It is an opportunity to remind that the government is making

available ?500,000 to properties for the resilience grant, and we are

encouraging householders to apply for this. Properties can invest in

joint flood defence schemes. The antics of the British

nationalists would be quite funny. The Minister stated in his statement

that the Scottish Government took so long to respond. But the reality is

that the Cabinet Secretary for infrastructure wrote to the

Department and as well as the Deputy First Minister, raise the issue on

the floor of the Scottish parliament itself, is this has long winded

answer? I'm not sure what the question was

Mr Speaker, but the reality is the UK responded immediately to the

weather events we saw over December and January. We made funding

available, we gave local authorities freedom and control over how it was

to be spent and delivered, that is the right thing to do. There is

still work to be done on a recovery and we are doing that and will

continue to do it until all of the communities feel they can get back

to normal and back open for business and we can move on from what has

been a very difficult period for so many. Hundreds of my constituents in

Nottinghamshire have benefited from the repair and renew grants, or

resilience grants, operated by the minister's department and seems to

be operating well and getting money to people quickly. A number of my

constituents did something very altruistic and chose to pool B

grants, not just for small community projects but for defence schemes. We

managed to find a workaround so it was achieved. Can the Minister

assure me and other members that elsewhere in the country,

communitywide altruistic schemes like that can be the use of the

?5,000 repair and renew grants question mark absolutely. A ?5,000

property level resilience grants for each property can be pooled so long

as the property is concerned benefit from the pooling. We have designed

the scheme is to be as flexible as possible to respond to different

circumstances in different places but moreover, to respond quickly,

unlike the fund we are discussing today which will take several months

from this date until it is paid out. Splendid, Anna Johnson. Mr Speaker,

can I tell the Minister that my constituents were badly flooded in

2007 and they would have been gassed if the Labour Government had not

immediately said they would apply for the Solidarity Fund. Can the

Minister just say exactly when the decision was made to actually make

the application? He is not offering much rias euros when he says there

is still work to do if the deadline is on Sunday this week. The

intention is in accordance with the process that exists, is to indicate

our intention to apply. I would be staggered had any Government

immediately announced an intention to apply for the fund because you

can't, you have to assess the impact on regional GDP, you have to be

assessed and see if you qualify. You can announce you are applying but

may not be able to qualify. The sensible thing to do is to assess

and make a decision in time to apply if it is appropriate, which is what

this Government has done. I welcome what the Minister has said today and

I thank him for the Government's decisive action to address flood

risks, including the Environment Agency's commitment to spend over

?500,000 this year to address the flood risk in my village. Will he

encourage me in joining the many tourists that come to the

communities and encourage them to visit this Easter? It is absolutely

the case that many areas affected by the flooding some of the most

beautiful parts of the country, some of the most beautiful parts of the

North of England. There are businesses that are very much open

for business and we are encouraging people to continue to visit and

indeed to consider making a visit to these wonderful places, to support

their economies and continue to support those communities, many of

which are open almost as though nothing had happened, working

through what has been trying period but has shown the very best of the

community spirit exists across the North. Given that large parts of

Greater Manchester were flooded, can I welcome the Government's

signalling of its intent to apply for these funds and the Minister

implied in his response that the Government have been working on the

detail of this bid for some time. So perhaps he can clarify to the House

the detail of what the Government intends to use the funds for. Will

it be to assist local authorities with the ongoing reconstruction work

after the floods or will it be to future proof our flood defences

going forwards? The Government has priority is to support those

communities today. We have ensured that funding is available

immediately to do that. We are still working through the process of this

fund application and will continue to do that for as long as it looks

like it will produce a net benefit to the UK. We will pursue it and

ensure it is delivered because we can see the benefits to communities.

What matters to communities like those he represents is the quick

response, the funding made available and the support given to local to

deliver immediately for their immediate needs and recovery

following thereafter. We have continued to make funds available to

do it, we have made that commitment and we will stick to it. Business

question, Mr Chris Bryant. Will the Leader of the House give us the

future business? Mr Speaker, next week, Monday the 29th of February,

we will start with a motion to approve a statutory instrument

relating to the European Union referendum and there will then be an

opposition half day debate on the UK's steel industry. Tuesday the 1st

of March will be the first allotted day of estimates. There will be a

debate on the foreign Commonwealth Office and the 2015 Spending Review,

followed by a debate on the reform of the police spending for Miller.

On the 2nd of March, the second allotted this village today for

estimates, followed by a debate upon end of life car. The House will then

be asked to agree all outstanding estimates, followed by proceedings

on the appropriation and adjustments bill. Further details will be in