§ Mr. Sorensenasked the Lord Privy Seal whether he is aware of the inquiry recently undertaken by the Leyton Borough Council in order to form an estimate of the number of people likely to avail themselves of shelters during an air raid; how many other authorities have undertaken a similar investigation; and whether he will publish the results for general guidance in air-raid precautions?
§ Sir J. AndersonIn a circular issued on the 28th March, 1938, local authorities were advised to make a careful survey of the accommodation in their area that could be made available as public shelter, in relation to the numbers of persons likely to need it. A considerable number of authorities, of which the borough of Leyton was one, acted on this recommendation, though I cannot state the precise number without some research. The information obtained from these surveys was carefully reviewed and, as a result a further circular was issued on the 25th April, 1939, recommending that local authorities in certain areas judged to be most exposed to the risk of attack should aim at providing public shelter for about 10 per cent. of the population in mainly residential areas and for about 15 per cent. of the day population in business centres.