HC Deb 23 May 1939 vol 347 cc2260-1

11.43 p.m.

Mr. Fleming

I beg to move, in page 32, line 6, at the end, to add: (2) Nothing in any enactment or in any order or regulation made under any enactment relating to lighting of factory premises, mines, or public utility undertakings shall render it unlawful for the occupier of any factory premises, the owner of any mine, or the persons carrying on any public utility undertaking to cause the lights in his factory premises, mine, or undertaking to be dimmed or extinguished for the purpose of—

  1. (a) assisting a local authority in training or exercising any persons in respect of air-raid precautions; or
  2. (b) training or exercising persons employed in the factory premises, mine, or public utility undertaking in air-raid precautions."
This Amendment deals with a similar matter to that raised by my hon. Friend the Member for Farnworth (Mr. Tomlinson), but it concerns the lighting of factories and workshops. The Clause provides relief to local authorities from their statutory duty with regard to lighting the streets in the case of air-raid precautions practices. I wish to grant similar relief in the case of industrial undertakings, because otherwise we should have the anomaly that while a black-out had been ordered the employer whose factory was working would still be subject to the provisions of the Factories Acts, which require him to have them well lighted as long as workpeople are on the premises. This Amendment would relieve industry from that disability during air-raid precautions practices.

Sir J. Anderson

I am not sure that this Amendment is necessary, but, nevertheless, I am prepared to accept it.

11.44 p.m.

Mr. E. Smith

I hope that regard will be had to the research work dealing with this problem which is being undertaken by the electrical industry. A tremendous amount of research has gone on, and I know that a lamp has been practically perfected, to the satisfaction of that industry, which will allow the maximum amount of light to be used inside a factory without its showing outside the building. Therefore I hope that the Lord Privy Seal will have regard to the new lighting system.

Sir J. Anderson

I hope the hon. Member is right in what he has just told us. No one will be better pleased than I if we can have some reliable device which will have the effect which he has just described. I suggest that this Amendment is not affected in one way or the other, because it makes clear that employers, by obscuring lights, will not be infringing some other provision of the law.

Amendment agreed to.

Clause, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill.