§ MR. CROSS (Liverpool, West Derby)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty whether tenders have been or will be invited for the building of any of the ships included in the new Admiralty shipbuilding programme from any firm or firms of shipbuilders on the Mersey; and, if not, whether there is any reason for not inviting tenders from such builders.
§ LORD G. HAMILTONTenders have been invited from one of the shipbuilding firms on the Mersey for those classes of ships which have been already put out to contract by the Admiralty, and tenders will be invited from the same firm for the battleships, for which contracts have still to be made.