HC Deb 06 February 1958 vol 581 cc1324-5
6. Mr. Hale

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what instructions have been given to the civil defence forces for operations necessitated by the accidental detonation of a thermonuclear weapon.

The Secretary of State for the Home Department and Lord Privy Seal (Mr. R. A. Butler)

I would refer the hon. Member to the statement which I made on 4th February in reply to Questions by the hon. Members for Lincoln (Mr. de Freitas) and Barnsley (Mr. Mason).

Mr. Hale

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that that statement was completely unsatisfactory? It is estimated that, in the event of war, there would be one million casualties in the first 24 hours, but there is no evidence that this subject is receiving adequate attention. Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that today I have three Questions down on civil defence, and that one has been transferred to the Minister of Health, one to the Minister of Housing and Local Government and one has been retained by himself? We should like to know whether anyone is applying his mind to this subject.

Mr. Butler

I have not been able at this short notice to go into the intricacies of the transfer of Questions, but I will do my best to ascertain the difficulties under which the hon. Gentleman is labouring on that subject. He asked me about the accidental detonation of a thermo-nuclear weapon. I did my best, in answer to Questions on Tuesday, to give a considered answer to the House and to say that, while we have the instructions to the police and fire brigades under review, we will alter them only if our information makes that alteration justifiable. I give that undertaking to the hon. Gentleman and to the House.