§ 32. Mr. Culverwellasked the Home Secretary whether he has decided to reimburse to local authorities the whole of the approved expenditure in respect of contracts entered into for the erection of air-raid shelters after 19th October, 1940; and whether, as a measure of equity, he will reconsider the question with a view to reimbursing local authorities similar expenditure incurred prior to this date?
§ Mr. H. MorrisonI would refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on Tuesday by my hon. Friend the Joint Parliamentary Secretary to Questions asked by my hon. Friends the Members for Roth-well (Mr. Lunn) and Lonsdale (Sir I. Fraser).
§ Mr. CulverwellDoes my right hon. Friend not agree that the choice of this purely arbitrary date operates against those authorities which were first to provide protection against air raids, and unfairly favours those who neglected their duty?
§ Mr. MorrisonI have explained that I was concerned to get speedy action under the conditions of the "blitz" which recently commenced, and it was to accelerate action in future that I made this concession. I do not think it reasonable to ask the Treasury to make the concession retrospective.
§ Mr. CulverwellBut, in view of the unfairness of this, will the Government reconsider their decision?
§ Mr. MorrisonI am afraid I cannot give any promise to do that.
§ Mr. SorensenWill my right hon. Friend consider this suggestion, in view of the very strong feeling about this inequity as between local authorities?
§ Mr. MorrisonI agree that that is a very strong point, but I do not think that I should be justified in going back on the past decision.
§ Mr. LipsonIs my right hon. Friend aware that we want speedy action in future, and that this decision will prevent such speedy action?
§ Mr. MorrisonI cannot make any promise at all. The future cannot give more than a 100 per cent. front.
§ 36. Sir Irving Alberyasked the Home Secretary whether he can now state whether there is any change of shelter policy resulting from a public announcement recently made by Lord Horder?
§ Mr. MorrisonI am not yet in a position to make a statement.
§ Sir I. AlberyWill the right hon. Gentleman be in a position to make a statement shortly?
§ Mr. MorrisonI hope so.
§ Mr. SorensenIn the meanwhile, can the right hon. Gentleman say, in general, whether these shelters are being used widely?
§ Mr. MorrisonI know that brick shelters as a whole have stood up to the test, though they vary from place to place and from circumstances to circumstances. I am aware, of course, that they were constructed primarily for daytime use, but they are in process of adaptation for night use where that is expedient.
§ 37. Sir I. Alberyasked the Home Secretary whether he now has any information showing to what extent brick surface shelters are being made use of during air raids?
§ Mr. MorrisonI am sending to my hon. Friend a note giving such information as is available.
§ Sir I. AlberyHas the right hon. Gentleman any information as to whether there are a great number of brick shelters erected in and around London which are never occupied at all?
§ Mr. MorrisonThere are some, but it depends on the district and on the circumstances. These matters are under consideration in relation to the general review of the shelter policy.