§ MR. PULESTONasked the First Lord of the Treasury, What arrangements are proposed for the conduct of the affairs of the Admiralty during the absence of the First Lord as High Commissioner in Egypt?
MR. GLADSTONEThe Question has, perhaps, been framed in partial forgetfulness of the fact that, as a matter of form, the presence of the First Lord of the Admiralty is in no manner necessary to the business of the Board. It is by the authority of the Board that the business of the Admiralty is carried on. The Question on the Paper, however, is one of a practical nature, and I am not sorry that the hon. Member has asked it. Speaking generally, the arrangements of the Admiralty for the remaining portions of the year are complete at this time of the year, and in any case there would now be a period of vacation and comparative recess. The current business will thus be carried on for a certain time almost in the same manner as if Lord Northbrook had been in England, and no inconvenience will be caused to the Public Service.