§ 5. Lieut.-Colonel Liptonasked the First Lord of the Admiralty how many persons employed in his Department were on duty at the Admiralty when the recent fire broke out there.
12. Mr. Dugdaleasked the First Lord of the Admiralty how many people were on duty in the Admiralty at the time of the recent fire.
§ Mr. DigbyFifty, Sir, of whom 14 were employees of the Ministry of Works and four of the General Post Office.
§ Lieut.-Colonel LiptonWhat were these employees supposed to be doing at the time the fire broke out? Why was it left to a chance passer-by to nip in through a window to try to do what he could to arrest the conflagration?
§ Mr. DigbyI can answer only for Admiralty employees, and a question that concerns Ministry of Works employees should be addressed to the Minister of Works. The Admiralty employees were engaged in another part of the building.
Mr. DugdaleThough the hon. Gentleman may be a respecter of demarcation lines between Ministries, is he aware that fire is not, and is it not possible for somebody on duty in the Admiralty, in the part belonging to the Admiralty, to transfer his duties for a moment to that part belonging to the Ministry of Works without getting into difficulty with the present Government?
§ Mr. DigbyAs the right hon. Gentleman knows from his experience at the Admiralty, fire risk is taken over from 8 o'clock to 8 o'clock by the Ministry of Works. It is the position that it becomes a Ministry of Works responsibility.
Mr. DugdaleIs the hon. Gentleman saying that it is impossible for people in the Admiralty to move across to another part of the building because for the time being that part belongs to the Ministry of Works?
§ Mr. DigbyI am certainly not saying anything of the kind. I was merely saying that the Admiralty people were working in a different part of the building from which they could not see the fire.
§ Mr. Emrys HughesCould they not be more careful at the Admiralty? Is the hon. Gentleman not aware that it is very near the Scottish office?