§ 81. Mr. Thomasasked the Minister of Health whether he is now able to assist the five other Government Departments concerned with billeting in the city of Hereford and its neighbourhood by agreeing to the ruling of the Home Office that Hereford is a vulnerable area; and whether he will, therefore, take steps to have all children who have been evacuated to Hereford for safety re-evacuated to an area which has been scheduled as safe?
§ Mr. ElliotThe primary object of the Government evacuation scheme is to secure dispersal, and it has been necessary to utilise as receiving areas some districts, including Hereford, which are specified areas for the purpose of the Civil Defence Act, 1939, on the view that they offer a better chance of safety than do the areas from which children have been evacuated. Close contact is being maintained with the other Government Departments concerned, and the question of transferring evacuated children now accommodated in Hereford will be considered in connection with billeting requirements for other Government purposes.