§ Mr. G. Hallasked the Home Secretary whether he will give the estimated cost for air-raid precautions work for the financial year ending 31st March, 1940; and the estimated expenditure on providing these services of the 10 largest cities or towns in England and Wales?
§ Sir J. AndersonThe provision made in this year's Parliamentary Estimates for payments out of the Exchequer in respect of Air-Raid Precautionary Services, including Emergency Fire Services, is as follows:
£ Original Net Estimate 42,205,907 Supplementary Estimate 17,499,990 59,705,897 These figures do not include, among other items, provision for the pay of whole-time volunteers or for payments under the Compensation (Defence) Act, 1939, in respect of requisitions or works under the Defence Regulations, 1939. Sufficient data are not yet available to enable the cost of these items, and of certain other items arising out of the war emergency, to be accurately estimated.
As regards the second part of the question, the returns so far furnished by individual local authorities do not provide an accurate basis for estimating the expenditure for the year in the circumstances now obtaining.