§ Mr. Parkerasked the Minister of Health to what extent the conferences envisaged in paragraph 45 (5) of the Memo. Ev. 8 have taken place; to what extent their work has been affected by the low proportion of persons registering their children for evacuation; and whether he will consider introducing new machinery for re-evacuation in the event of air raids?
§ Miss HorsbrughThe conferences referred to were held about a month ago. Their primary purpose was to enable the billeting and education authorities to discuss the proposed arrangements for road transport from detraining stations for the children concerned. For these children railway time-tables have already been worked out. Present plans provide for larger numbers of children than have actually been registered and can be put into operation when the Government decide that circumstances call for it.
§ Mr. Parkerasked the Minister of Health whether he considers that the 36 hours' notice promised to the reception authorities before putting the new evacuation scheme into practice will certainly be possible in the event of serious air raids; and whether he will develop alternative plans for use in an emergency more serious than that suggested by the terms of Memo. Ev. 8?
§ Miss HorsbrughThe Government's plans provide for the orderly evacuation of children in school parties. The period of 36 hours represents the minimum notice required to enable the orderly combination of evacuation, transport and reception to be carried out. If circumstances were such as to make such a period of notice impossible, alternative plans would come into operation, and these have already been worked out, although of course not in great detail, as the conditions would clearly be impossible to lay down with great accuracy in advance.
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§ Mr. Grovesasked the Minister of Health (1) when the original scheme for the disbursement of public funds by local medical war committees was changed so as to withdraw such responsibility from such committees by its transfer to the co-ordinating committee; and when the change was approved by him;
(2) why the fund for the remuneration of practitioners for the treatment of unaccompanied evacuated children has been taken out of the hands of emergency committees elected at meetings of practitioners and placed in the hands of branch co-ordinating committees which are not so elected?
§ Mr. ElliotI presume that the hon. Member has in mind the arrangement made in the county of Kent. The seven local medical war committees in that county agreed in October last to form one pool for the remuneration of practitioners for the treatment of evacuated children, the pool to be administered by a co-ordinating committee. Such an arrangement has obvious advantages, and as it does not involve any change in principle in the arrangements made for the remuneration of practitioners it does not require my specific approval.