§ Sir D. Rentonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will now make a statement indicating to what extent he has formulated his policy for dealing with emergencies in peace and war.
§ Mr. MaudlingWe have completed an initial review of the provision needed for home defence and have taken account of peacetime emergencies as well as defence against external attack. The problem is a difficult one; but we have reached370W certain broad conclusions which will now be worked out in detail:
(i) We can improve our defence against external attack within the present level of expenditure by certain detailed adjustments of expenditure on individual purposes which are being examined.
(ii) Particular effort should be made to develop the structure or organisation and command.
(iii) In the light of the changing nature of the external threat and the strength of the voluntary services already operating in the field of peacetime emergencies, it does not appear that there is a justification for bringing into being a special separate voluntary emergency organisation over and above the existing agencies. The Government recognise the enormous value of voluntary effort in this field and wish to do all practicable to encourage it; and they feel that any plans to this end should be based on the principle of strengthening voluntary support of the existing civilian services, which have already made such a notable contribution.