§ 12.28 p.m.
§ The Minister of State, Home Office (Miss Alice Bacon)I beg to move,
That the Civil Defence (Public Protection) Regulations 1967, a draft of which was laid before this House on 22nd June, be approved.I would have hoped, having waited for two whole mornings for these and the following Regulations to be debated, that it might have been convenient for the House to have taken them without debate. However, I understand that the right hon. and learned Member for Huntingdonshire (Sir D. Renton) considers that we should debate them.
§ Sir David Renton (Huntingdonshire)I am sure that the right hon. Lady must think so, too.
§ Miss BaconI appreciate that this is an extremely important subject. Like me, the right hon. and learned Gentleman has spent two whole mornings waiting for them to be discussed.
The House will recall that on 14th December last my right hon. Friend the 1499 Home Secretary announced the Government's decisions about local authority civil defence and the Civil Defence Corps. He said then that, in future, local authority employees would be asked to play a bigger part in helping local authorities to carry out their civil defence functions. One of the main features of our civil defence preparation is the provision of an emergency system of control. 1500 Its purpose is, initially, to direct lifesaving operations—