§ 46. Sir Nicholas Grattan-Doyleasked the Prime Minister whether, in view of the importance of and the heavy work involved in the organisation of air-raid precautions throughout the country, he will consider the delegation of these duties to a member of the Government who shall give his whole time to them; and, if no such member be available, he will invite Parliament to make provision for an additional Minister?
§ The Prime MinisterI agree with my hon. Friend as to the importance and difficulty of this subject, but, apart from other advantages, the present arrangement, which was settled after full consideration, facilitates co-ordination with other related subjects, such as police and fire brigades, which come within the province of the Home Secretary. As my hon. Friend is aware, the Air-Raid Precautions Department of the Home Office has recently been greatly strengthened and reorganised; the work of putting the Air-Raid Precautions Act into operation is proceeding steadily and close relations are being established between the Home Secretary and local authorities. In these circumstances, I should be most reluctant to impede the progress of the work by a further reorganisation such as would be involved in my hon. Friend's suggestion.