EURO MP CHECKS ON FLOOD AID APPLICATION

4.00.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 25th Oct 2007

West Midlands Euro MP Liz Lynne has reminded the EU of the UK's plight since the catastrophic flooding across the country during the summer, urging quick action to help the affected regions.

A £2.9 billion UK government bid for help from the EU Solidarity Fund, which helps with reconstruction of vital infrastructure after natural disasters, was submitted on the 20th of August but a final decision on whether to grant the application may take several more months. As MEP for the West Midlands region, one of the worst affected areas, Ms Lynne has recently spoken out for a quicker application process.

Speaking today from Strasbourg, Liz Lynne said:

"I pressed the minister to ensure that the UK's application to the Solidarity Fund was dealt with as efficiently and quickly as possible.

"I have long felt that the application process needs to be streamlined and the turnaround needs to be quicker. The Solidarity Fund is there to help with vital repairs to public infrastructure so naturally when a disaster happens such as the horrific summer floods, help needs to be forthcoming so that life can quickly return to a degree of normality.

"I also asked if the Council of Ministers was considering the development of a Europe-wide Rapid Reaction Force to help with such disasters to ensure that any extra resources needed from our neighbours in Europe can be called upon quickly. We may have greatly benefited from such a system if it had of been in place earlier this year."

"The UK's Solidarity Fund application will still take some time, but I will continue to do what I can to make sure help comes as quickly as possible to the areas where it is needed."

ENDS

Notes to editors:

On the 24th of October, Liz Lynne asked the following question:

Will the UK's application to the EU Solidarity Fund be treated fairly and speedily and will the Council consider the development of a European Rapid Reaction Force to deal with natural disasters?

The European Commission is understood to be looking favourably on the UK's £2.9 billion bid for emergency aid under the EU Solidarity Fund which was submitted on the 20th of August. It will discussed by the European Parliament, its Budget Committee and the Council of Ministers in the next few months. It will then be voted on by all MEPs.

Liz Lynne has also recently called for the streamlining of the rules and application process for the EU Solidarity Fund, to make sure aid reaches where it is needed more quickly, in the light of the UK and Eastern European floods, and the Greek forest fires.

Previously Liz Lynne submitted a European Parliamentary Question requesting flood aid in June. The MEP welcomed an initial response from Commissioner Danuta Hubner.

Concerned that the stricken Severn Valley Railway in her West Midlands region constituency should be included in any UK bid for funding from the EU Solidarity Fund, Ms Lynne then wrote to Floods minister John Healey urging this. He replied confirming it had been included in the bid and confirmed that £1.5 million has already been made available to help the railway. Liz Lynne was shown around the reconstruction site to restore the trackbed at Highley station on Friday October 12th.

EU Solidarity Fund: http://europa.eu/scadplus/leg/en/lvb/g24217.htm