§ Sir R. Glynasked the Home Secretary how much money has been spent on the Civil Defence organisation during the year 1941, showing separately the cost of pay and allowances for the various grades of Civil Defence, including the National Fire Service; the amount spent on uniforms; the cost of other equipment supplied, including pumps; the cost, so far, of requisitioning houses; how much has been paid in compensation for sickness, illness and accident; and, if possible, separating the figures for the services in purely rural areas, including urban district councils, from expenditure in county boroughs and, other cities?
§ Mr. H. MorrisonMost of the expenditure on the services referred to by my hon. Friend is incurred by the local authorities on a grant or reimbursement basis and returns of such expenditure for the year 1941–42 will not be available for some months. Certain particulars of the expenditure which it was estimated would be incurred by the Ministry of Home Security on the Civil Defence Services in 439W 1941–42 are, however, set out on pages 32 to 41 of the printed Estimate of the Votes of Credit (Cmd. 6279). As indicated in paragraph 1 of the prefatory Note to that document, the statement is confined to such particulars in regard to the various services as could be given consistently with public policy. Since those estimates were framed the National Fire Service has been set up and it is estimated that this will involve a transfer of a charge from the rate funds to the Exchequer of approximately £2,000,000 per annum.