§ 38. Mr. Roland Robinsonasked the Under-Secretary of State for Air what arrangements have been made by his Department in connection with the evacuation of the families of Service personnel from the Suez Canal zone; how many people will be affected; and to what places are they being evacuated.
§ The Under-Secretary of State for Air (Mr. Nigel Birch)In view of the present situation in Egypt, a partial evacuation of Service families from the Canal zone is being carried out. It is planned to bring 4,000 women and children back to this country by sea and air before the end of the year, and rooms are being found in Blackpool for those who cannot make private arrangements for accommodation.
The Air Ministry is responsible for the air transport arrangements and for arranging accommodation in Blackpool. In the second part of their task they have received generous co-operation from everyone in the town, and my noble Friend has asked me to put on record his appreciation of the part Blackpool is playing in this emergency.