HC Deb 02 February 1955 vol 536 cc1081-2
34. Mr. Shinwell

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air whether he will make a statement on his recent visit to El Firdan; how long he stayed there; and whether there has been any improvement in the conditions in the camp about which he has already received representations.

Mr. Ward

I visited El Firdan during the morning of Friday, 14th January. Conditions there have improved considerably in recent months. The airmen have made their tents remarkably comfortable by self-help, and we have installed better cooking equipment. Moreover, the restrictions on movement have been lifted. Ismailia is now in bounds, and there are organised day-trips to Cairo. I found everyone very cheerful.

Mr. Shinwell

Is it not true to say that on his visit to El Firdan the Under-Secretary remained there exactly 45 minutes and visited only one of the tents specially prepared for his inspection, and that since I made representations to him about the conditions of this camp a year ago practically nothing has been done and the camp still remains in an unsatisfactory condition?

Mr. Ward

No. The exact time that my visit lasted escapes my memory, but it was certainly long enough to walk all round the station. I inspected the whole station, and so my stay must have been for more than 45 minutes.

Mr. Shinwell

But the hon. Gentleman visited only one tent?

Mr. Ward

No. More than one tent. I have a picture of one of them. I had to visit a number of stations in a few days, and in the time I spent at El Firdan I made as good an inspection as I could. The conditions there are very much better than they were a year ago. I was most impressed by the ingenuity the airmen put into making themselves comfortable.