Air-Raid Shelters

HC Deb 09 March 1967 vol 742 cc1735-6

14. Mr. William Price

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many old air-raid shelters remain in Great Britain; and why Her Majesty's Government retains them.

Miss Bacon

About 150,000. It is the Government's general policy to retain existing shelters which might afford worthwile protection in any future war. But demolition at public expense is authorised if the shelter is beyond economic repair, or is a danger to health, or stands in the way of approved development, or on grounds of special hardship.

Mr. Price

Is my right hon. Friend seriously suggesting that these worn-out relics would offer any protection whatever in a nuclear attack? Does she not think it is about time that we stopped kidding the public that these 150,000 shelters are of any value whatsoever?

Miss Bacon

Of the 150,000, 138,000 are small domestic shelters and only 12,000 are public and communal shelters. Those with small domestic shelters can themselves destroy them at their own expense if they wish to do so.

Mrs. Braddock

Is my right hon. Friend aware that this is a very serious matter and that in my constituency there have been a lot of grumbles about the state of some of the shelters? There are 29 communal air-raid shelters in my constituency. We have had a check made by the local authority. Most of them are in the centre of blocks of tenements and are a danger to children who play there. Will my right hon. Friend ask local authorities to make a report on the state of these buildings and will her Department see whether those which are bad can be dealt with?

Miss Bacon

As I have said, those which are bad can be dealt with at public expense. If the local authority concerned would get in touch with us we would consider in those circumstances what could be done.

Sir J. Langford-Holt

I believe that in her original reply the right hon. Lady said that if these shelters were beyond repair they could be destroyed at public expense. Is the implication of that that, where possible, they are still being repaired?

Miss Bacon

I am sure that if the hon. Member reads my reply he will see that that is not what I said. Of course, they are not being repaired, but if they are a danger to health or stand in the way of future development or could not be repaired—which does not mean that we are going to repair the others—and are derelict, we would destroy them at public expense.