43. Mr. David Adamsasked the Home Secretary what standards are laid down in various classes of areas as to the proportion of the population for whom dormitory shelter accommodation should be provided; what types of shelter in the main, such as underground, surface concrete and surface brick, provide this accommodation at present; and what proportion of local authorities are experiencing difficulty in coming up to the standard?
§ Miss WilkinsonThe objectives laid down for the provision of dormitory shelter accommodation have been calculated according to the amount of existing shelter, the assessment of vulnerability of each area and the amount of labour and materials available. It would not be in the public interest to give details. Most of the shelter provided is domestic shelter and the main types are Anderson and surface shelters, though there are, of course, many others. While the shelter provided falls short of the objective in the great majority of areas, and progress is limited by the present shortage of building labour, a very large amount of shelter has by now been provided. Of the total shelter accommodation available some four-fifths is domestic shelter, and of this over half has been provided in the form of Anderson shelters and over a quarter in the form of surface shelter.
Mr. AdamsCan the Minister say whether the difficulties which local authorities are experiencing in regard to these 1383 standards are being gradually removed, and whether they will be eliminated in due course?
§ Miss WilkinsonThe main difficulties are shortage of building labour and the need for reducing our quota in order to provide materials for other, more essential, war work. I am afraid matters will not get any better.