§ 36. Mr. Swinglerasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why he refuses to consent to the demolition of the air raid shelters in Madeley Heath, to which the hon. Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme recently drew his attention.
§ Mr. RentonIt remains the policy of the Government to preserve sound ail raid shelters as far as possible. If a shelter can be shown to be dangerous to health or there are other compelling grounds my right hon. Friend is always prepared to consider its removal, but a recent inspection of the shelters referred to by the hon. Member revealed no such grounds.
§ Mr. SwinglerIs the hon. and learned Gentleman aware that these shelters were cleaned out for purposes of inspection but that as probably there will not be another inspection unless I keep writing to him, they inevitably will become unsanitary again? Will the hon. and learned Gentleman have regular inspections made to keep them sanitary or else have them pulled down?
§ Mr. RentonWe will certainly bear in mind what the hon. Member has said. The inspection in April was attended by the medical officer of health and he said that the shelters were in good structural condition and constituted no danger to public health. They contained some refuse, and since inspection they have been cleaned and resealed. The local authority no doubt will wish to keep an eye on them.