HC Deb 22 May 1952 vol 501 cc649-52
21. Mr. Janner

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why he has withdrawn the grant of £2,000 per annum, previously given to the Home Safety Committee of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.

34. Mr. Shurmer

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, in view of the great number of persons killed each year by domestic accidents in the home, he will consider reinstating the annual grant of £2,000 to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.

The Secretary of State for the Home Department (Sir David Maxwell Fyfe)

When this grant was first paid for the financial year 1948–49 the Society were told that it would be of limited duration and that its continuance would be reconsidered after a period of, say, five years. In view of the need for the most stringent economy in Government expenditure, I reluctantly came to the conclusion that further payment of the grant must now be discontinued. I am at present considering representations made by the Society for the restoration of some financial assistance from the Exchequer for the purpose of their home safety work.

Mr. Janner

Is not the Home Secretary aware that this Society is doing excellent work in saving the country expense arising out of hospitalisation and injuries? Would he not consider that in these circumstances it is really a false economy to refuse a small sum of £2,000 which has produced such excellent results in the past?

Sir D. Maxwell Fyfe

I will take into consideration what the hon. Member has said.

Mr. Shurmer

Is the Home Secretary aware that as a result of the withdrawal of this grant the Home Safety Committee of the Birmingham Accident Prevention Council will have to cease their work owing to lack of funds? Is he aware that 5,000 people are killed each year by domestic accidents, that this is a mean withdrawal and that lives cannot be measured in £ s. d.? Surely he will be prepared to reconsider his decision.

Sir D. Maxwell Fyfe

I appreciate the interest of the hon. Member and perhaps he will be good enough to reserve the first part of his question dealing with Birmingham until I have answered Question No. 40, which also deals with that point. As I have said, I am considering the matter and I will take into account everything that has been said today.

Mr. Noel-Baker

Is the right hon. and learned Gentleman aware that during the war an expert study by a distinguished economist of the Ministry of Transport showed that the material cost to the nation of road accidents was between £50 million and £60 million a year? Is he aware that this Society does very distinguished work in helping to prevent accidents and suffering and that a saving of £2,000 is really ridiculous in view of the results the Society has obtained?

Viscount Hinchingbrooke

Is my right hon. and learned Friend aware that the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents are much more likely to be forthright in their recommendations without a Government grant than with one?

39. Mr. Yates

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons were killed by domestic accidents during the last year for which statistics are available; what was the proportion of fatal domestic accidents occurring to children under five years of age, and old people over 65 years of age; and if he will reconsider his decision to discontinue the grant of £2,000 to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.

Sir D. Maxwell Fyfe

No accurate statistics of fatal accidents in the home are available, but figures extracted from the Registrar General's Statistical Review indicate that in 1949 about 5,500 persons died as a result of accidents in the home, of whom about 1,000 were children under five and about 3,500 persons over 65. As regards the last part of the Question, I would refer to the answer I have given to Questions Nos. 21 and 34.

Mr. Yates

In view of the gravity of these figures, has the Minister studied the Report of the inter-Departmental Committee on Accidents in the Home which was set up by the former Home Secretary in 1947, in which it is clearly stated that there are more children injured in the home than on the roads? Owing to the seriousness of the situation, I hope the Minister will reconsider his decision.

Sir D. Maxwell Fyfe

I have considered the Report, and I have promised that I will look into this matter again.

40. Mr. Yates

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is aware that the Birmingham Accident Prevention Council are no longer able to continue propaganda for dealing with home safety, or hold further exhibitions of home safety and safety precautions generally owing to lack of finance; and what steps he is taking to ensure that this important work is carried out.

Sir D. Maxwell Fyfe

I have no power to give financial assistance to local organisations concerned with home safety: Section 136 of the Local Government Act, 1948, gives certain general powers to local authorities to contribute towards the expenses of such organisations, with the consent of the Minister of Housing and Local Government, and my right hon. Friend is always prepared to consider any application for his consent under this Section.

Mr. Yates

In view of that statement, will the Minister give special consideration to this question in Birmingham? I understand that all the authorities have been co-operating in this propaganda work, which is so valuable because of the large number of children being killed as a result of accidents in the home. Will the right hon. and learned Gentleman help this work to be carried on? At the last exhibition, 7,000 people attended, and these exhibitions can—[HON. MEMBERS: "Speech."] I do not very often get up to speak, and I am going to say what I want to say. It is very important for a city like Birmingham that the whole of this work should be continued.

Sir D. Maxwell Fyfe

I will certainly consider the point. I think the hon. Gentleman has got the substance of my first answer, which is that the local authority can make a grant with the approval of my right hon. Friend. On the second point, of course, the Birmingham Accident Prevention Council does not receive any financial assistance from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents' grant, but, as I have promised, and especially in view of everything that has been said today, I will look into the matter again.