HC Deb 10 June 1943 vol 390 cc835-6
36. Mr. Graham White

asked the Home Secretary the number and description of the appropriate authorities whose duties include the inspection of warehouses together with their contents and fire-fighting and prevention appliances?

Mr. H. Morrison

The appropriate authorities for warehouses and other business premises are set out in Article 14 of the Fire Prevention (Business Premises) (No. 2) Order, 1941, of which I am sending my hon. Friend a copy. In the case of Government premises, the appropriate Department is the Department by which, or for whose purposes, the premises are occupied.

Mr. White

Would the right hon. Gentleman be good enough to have the existing procedure looked at to see whether considerable saving of time and labour is not possible on the part of the inspecting authorities and the people who have to undergo these visits? Can he avoid authorities giving contradictory instructions to the same people?

Mr. Morrison

That matter has been very carefully considered, and while I should be perfectly willing to consider any further information which my hon. Friend may let me have, it is the case, generally speaking, that there is only one inspecting authority for one set of premises. If we tried to centralise the whole of this, work, we should have different Departments inspecting the same premises for different purposes. On balance, I think the present system is more convenient.