asked the Minister for the Co-ordination of Defensive Measures whether he intends to establish rest and feeding centres in Dublin to deal with evacuees from any bombed area in the future, pending the provision of permanent accommodation for them; and, if so, whether he will seek to co-ordinate his plans with the existing feeding arrangements carried on by charitable organisations.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Rest Centres.
The Government recently decided that the local authorities of the four county boroughs and of the areas specified in the Schedule to the Air-Raid Precautions Act, 1939, should, as part of their air-raid precautions schemes, establish, when required, food and rest centres to provide sleeping accommodation and light meals for persons rendered homeless as a result of attack from the air. It is intended that initially 20 centres should be established in Dublin to provide for persons who may be rendered homeless in Dublin. As these centres will form part of the Dublin Corporation's air-raid precautions scheme, I do not think that it would be either practicable or desirable to co-ordinate them with the existing feeding arrangements carried on by charitable organisations in the city.
Does the Parliamentary Secretary not think it would be an advantage if the existing charitable arrangements were co-ordinated, so that they might be availed of in the event of exceptional stress falling on the corporation arrangements?
I do not think we would have to call on the services of these people. Their services would not be available and they have quite sufficient to do in the work they are doing already.