asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is now in a position to fix the approximate date for the transfer of the N.F.S. to the local authorities.

Until the Fire Services Bill—which I hope shortly to introduce—has been passed into law it is not possible to fix a definite date for the transfer of control to local authorities, but I hope that it will be possible to make the transfer not later than 1st April, 1948.