Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Robert Goodwill and Jake Berry

Thursday 28th January 2016 Commons Chamber

[Jake Berry (Rossendale and Darwen) (Con)]

10. What progress has been made on repairing transport links damaged by flooding in Lancashire.

[The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Mr Robert Goodwill)]

This Government are determined to help families and businesses in Lancashire, including those in Rossendale and Darwen. The Department for Transport announced on 27 December 2015 that we will be providing £5 million to Lancashire County Council to help it to prioritise what local highway infrastructure must be repaired following the storms.

[Jake Berry]

I congratulate the Minister and the Department on their response to the floods. Specifically, will he go away and look at the issue of private vehicular bridges crossing rivers in Rossendale and Darwen? I understand that the householders and businesses are liable for them, but in a couple of places they collapsed causing flooding upstream that has caused millions of pounds of damage. It may be that if we can find some money to help them to repair them, it will be a case of a stitch in time saves nine.

[Mr Goodwill]

I will certainly look at that, but the basic principle is that we are not in a position to provide assistance for private infrastructure that is not a public right of way.