§ Mr. J. Hallasked the Minister of Health whether arrangements will be made to evacuate invalids, aged persons and women from the London boroughs which are being subjected to enemy bombing every night?
§ Sir H. Morris-Jonesasked the Minister of Health whether, in view of recent experiences of air warfare on our civil population, he has any statement to make as to the policy of re-dispersal of all those not essential to our war effort from the most vulnerable areas and especially London?
Mr. M. MacDonaldThe Government have had the question under careful review. Facilities for the evacuation of schoolchildren have been continuously available and the Government have consistently urged upon parents the importance of taking advantage of these facilities for their children. Since air attacks on London developed the rate of response has increased and approximately 30,000 schoolchildren have been evacuated since 6th September. In the light of these attacks it was decided to make similar facilities available for the evacuation of mothers with their children whether of school age or under. These facilities were offered first to those rendered homeless by air attack, then to the London boroughs in which shelter conditions were more difficult, and they have now been extended to the whole of the Metropolitan boroughs as well as to the county boroughs of East Ham and West Ham. Under these arrangements about 20,000 mothers and children have been evacuated since 22nd September. Evacuation takes place within two or three days of registration and I hope that mothers will 377W take this opportunity of moving themselves and their children to the country in the interests of safety and health, and will in this way assist the problems of civil defence and shelter for those who mast remain. As regards aged and infirm persons, steps have already been taken to remove persons in this category from emergency rest centres and to transfer them temporarily to hospitals and subsequently to homes on the outskirts of London. I am arranging for similar action to be taken in relation to aged and infirm persons who are habitually making use of air-raid shelters in the whole of the Metropolitan boroughs as well as in East and West Ham.