§ 14. Sir Gilbert Longdenasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the present strength of the National Voluntary Civil Aid Service and how the training of the civil aid units is progressing; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. LaneI understand that the service has some 15,000 members, about one-third of whom are organised and trained in 249 operational civil aid units.
§ Sir Gilbert LongdenI thank my hon. Friend for that answer, which shows that it has not grown much in the last few months. Will my hon. Friend take every possible opportunity of expressing the full support of the Government for these voluntary services, and will he encourage local authorities to support them?
§ Mr. LaneYes, certainly. I hope that local authorities will make maximum use of local help from these voluntary societies. I hope to discuss this question further with county civil defence officers during the next few weeks.