§ Mr. Grovesasked the Lord Privy Seal whether he is aware that the county borough of West Ham has constructed trench accommodation for 6,000 persons, and the provision for fixing Anderson shelters had been carried out in 34,900 cases; that over 1,000 had been erected for the aged and infirm by the council's workmen; and whether this degree of progress is general in London and Metropolitan areas?
§ Sir J. AndersonI am informed that public shelter in West Ham has been provided in the form of trenches for 5,800 people and that the work of covering the trenches is nearly complete. 28,094 steel shelters have been supplied to West Ham by my Department, out of an estimated requirement of 39,000. I understand that it is the practice of this Council to leave it to the householder to erect the shelter except in cases where there is no able-bodied man in the household capable of erecting it, and to assist by indicating the proper site. I have no precise information of the number of shelters erected or of the cases in which sites have already been marked out, but I understand that the Council have had applications from 4,300 householders to have the shelters erected by the Council, and that these applications are being investigated. The hon. Member will appreciate the difficulty of making any exact comparison between different parts of the Metropolitan area in this matter.