HC Deb 26 March 1957 vol 567 cc948-9
13. Mrs. Mann

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many local authorities are getting direct grants for home safety work in Scotland.

Mr. J. N. Browne

Expenditure by local health authorities on home safety work attracts National Health Service grant at the rate of 50 per cent. This grant is payable to all of the 55 local health authorities.

Mrs. Mann

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that there are only four home safety committees in Scotland? Are not the committees of the 55 authorities to which he referred accident prevention committees, which are mainly concerned with road accident prevention?

Mr. Browne

No specific grant is payable for home safety work as such, but normal advice and help is given by health visitors and other domiciliary services, and that automatically ranks for grant. Apart from that, my right hon. Friend has in the past approved for grant special expenditure on such items as special propaganda and provision of fire guards. I think that if the local authority concerned applied to my right hon. Friend he would look sympathetically at any proposition put forward.

Captain Duncan

Will my hon. Friend say under which Section of which Act grants are available so that local authorities, if they wish to have home safety weeks propaganda, or other functions to promote home safety, can know under what Act they can receive grants?

Mr. Browne

Under the National Health Service Act.

Mrs. Mann

On a point of order. Owing to the unsatisfactory nature of the reply, I beg to give notice that I shall raise this matter again on the Adjournment.