Plaid outline actions Welsh Government should be taking

Plaid Cymru has highlighted the gravity of the problem that faces Welsh flood-risk homeowners in finding insurance if the Welsh Government fails to take action to protect them. The party’s AM for Ceredigion Elin Jones has outlined the seriousness of the situation faced by Welsh homeowners if the Statement of Principles is allowed to expire in June 2013 without replacement.

The Statement of Principles is an agreement that binds insurers to offer flood insurance to homes and small businesses where the risk of flooding is lower than 1 in 75 year event and where property is already insured. The statement is due to expire in June 2013, which would leave an estimated quarter of a million homes in Wales without insurance.

The Party of Wales AM Elin Jones said:

“Flooding is quickly becoming a part of every-day life in Wales, and without a suitable agreement with insurance companies, we could see a quarter of a million Welsh homes faced with the prospect of no insurance. More and more, we see areas subjected to devastating flooding. It is clear that major efforts need to be made to protect these flood-prone areas.

“Unless an agreement is reached, a quarter of a million of Welsh homes are going to have their insurance revoked. We cannot simply let them face this worry and cost without support. The Environment Minister should be making representations now to ensure that the principles are renewed.”

Elin Jones also called for more action to combat the effects of flooding, which devastated areas of her constituency in June 2012, and in particular called for the establishment of a National Flood Forum for Wales.

She went on:

“There is much more that the Welsh Government could be doing now to mitigate the effects of flooding. One constructive step would be to support the establishment of a dedicated flood forum for Wales. A Nationals Flood Forum for Wales would be a strong voice for Welsh communities which are affected by flooding.

“Last year the residents of Ceredigion were faced with awful scenes and left with bills of tens of thousands of pounds. The Welsh Government should be doing everything in its power to stop this happening again. Plaid Cymru has put forward concrete proposals for sensible steps that can be taken now to help the situation and we want to see them implemented as soon as possible.”