§ MR. MACFARLANEasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, If he can state that the safety of the public is secured in theatres and other places of public entertainment in case of fire; and, if not, if he can give any assurance that he will give the question his immediate attention?
§ SIR WILLIAM HARCOURTI have communicated with the Lord Chamberlain on this subject, and he wishes it to be stated that, as far as the theatres licenced by him are concerned, he has caused the recommendations of the Select Committee of the House of Commons which considered the subject in 1877 to be embodied, as far as possible, in the Regulations issued by him for the guidance of managers. The theatres are inspected from time to time, and managers held by their licences personally responsible for the safety of the public With regard to new theatres, the responsibility of framing new Regulations for adequate security from fires is imposed, by the Metropolitan Buildings Act of 1878, on the Metropolitan Board of Works, whose printed Regulations on the subject are, I presume, 155 open to the inspection of the hon. Member. I have addressed myself to the hon. and gallant Member for Truro (Sir James M'Garel Hogg), and he has assured me that in all new theatres very stringent measures are taken for the prevention of fire and for the escape of persons in the event of fire.
§ MR. MACFARLANEasked, what precautions were taken in the case of music halls?
§ SIR WILLIAM HARCOURTI am not acquainted with the Regulations of the Middlesex Magistrates in that matter.