§ Lieut.-Commander Fletcherasked the Home Secretary whether he is aware that wooden huts are being erected on the roof of the Government buildings between 542W King Charles Street and Great George Street, Whitehall; whether the appropriate officials of the Air-Raid Precautions Department of the Home Office were consulted before these erections were decided upon; and why this infringement of the recommendations in the air-raid precautions handbook was allowed?
§ Sir P. SassoonI have been asked to reply. The temporary buildings which have been erected on the roof of the Government offices referred to are not wooden huts, but structures covered externally with asbestos cement sheeting, and lined internally with a flameproof material. Certain further protective measures have been recommended and will be adopted, and I am advised that by their adoption the temporary buildings will not present any additional fire risk to the main building. I may say that in the construction of this building inflammable material has been reduced to the minimum.