HC Deb 22 February 1877 vol 232 c831
MR. M'CARTHY DOWNING

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty, If he would explain to the House why it is that a prohibitory rule has been established by which Irish boys, anxious to enter the Navy, are debarred from doing so on beard the Guard Ship at Queenstown as they previously had done; whether they are not at present obliged to proceed to Plymouth or some other English or Scotch port, at their own expense, to enable them to enter the service; and whether the prohibitory rule referred to will be rescinded?

MR. HUNT

, in reply, said, the rule referred to in the Question had, he was told, been in force for many years. The reason for it was that it was impossible to train the boys properly at Queenstown, and it would entail a heavy expense on the Admiralty to remove them from that port to the training ship. They were, therefore, asked to pay their own expenses to training ships in England and Scotland; but as at present the supply of boys for the Navy was greater than the demand, he could not hold out any hope that the rule applying to Ireland would be altered.