HC Deb 02 April 1940 vol 359 cc33-4W
Colonel Wedgwood

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the £300,000 daily spent on air-raid precautions includes the cost of war reserve police, reserved hospital accommodation and staff, and ambulance cars and trains; and will he state the average daily cost falling on the local authorities?

Sir J. Simon

The figure of £300,000 given in my answer of 19th March as the current daily rate of expenditure on air-raid precautions was the total expenditure of the Ministry of Home Security on this service, including the cost of Exchequer grants to local authorities and the cost of police war reserve. It did not include expenditure which will fall as a final charge on local rates and will be met partly from loan and partly from current rate income. I am not in a position to divide such expenditure between these two elements, but the total amount to be met either from loan or rates is about £22,000 a day.

The figure of £300,000 included the cost of first-aid services but did not include the cost of emergency hospital accommodation and staff and ambulance services, including trains, run in connection therewith, the current daily rate of expenditure on which is some £73,000. All approved expenditure by local authorities on the services covered by this last figure is met by Exchequer grants.

Colonel Wedgwood

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the £36,000 daily spent on evacuation includes the cost of hotels, etc., retained and not used as well as those used; and whether he will add the daily cost to local authorities?

Sir J. Simon

The figure of £36,000 given in my answer of 19th March as the current daily rate of expenditure on evacuation did not include the cost of hotels required in connection with the evacuation of Government Departments. The amount of compensation in respect of hotels, etc., requisitioned for this purpose cannot be at all closely estimated and remains for future determination. All approved expenditure by local authorities in connection with the evacuation scheme is met by Exchequer grants.