§ MR. COOPERTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the proposal made by the London County Council in its. General Powers Bill, 1906, to establish a system of motor ambulances to deal with street accidents in London, was opposed by the Corporation of the City of London, before a Committee of 1699 this House, in favour of horsed ambulances; whether he is aware that the Corporation of the City of London, have now adopted and are successfully working in the City a system of motor ambulances on the lines suggested by the London County Council for the whole of the county; and what are his reasons for opposing the extension of this system to the County of London.
(Answered by Mr. Secretary Gladstone.) The proposals made by the London County Council in their Bill of 1906 were opposed by Sir Ralph Littler on behalf of the Corporation of the City, but the ground of the opposition was only in so far as the County Council proposed to take powers in the City as well as in other parts of the Metropolis. The electric motor ambulance service in the City was inaugurated in 1907. I understand that up to the present only one ambulance has been started, but the service as at present working, gives, I believe, complete satisfaction. The reasons for opposing the proposals made by the London County Council in 1906 are given in the Home Office Report which was before the Committee of both Houses, The view taken in that Report was that it was a question whether any additional facilities required would not be more efficiently and economically provided by a development of the existing services, rather than by the establishment of a new public service acting independently of existing agencies. It was decided that the best course was to appoint a departmental committee to consider the whole question, and it is hoped that this committee will report in the autumn.