§ COLONEL LLOYD (Chatham)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty whether the Government can give the House any information in regard to doing away with the system of classification in Her Majesty's Dockyards?
§ THE CIVIL LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY (Mr. E. ROBERTSON, Dundee)As was stated last week in the discussion on the Navy Estimates, a Departmental Committee is now sitting to consider this and other Dockyard questions. I hope very soon to announce the decision of the Admiralty on all these questions, but cannot yet name any day.
§ MR. KNATCHBULL-HUGESSEN (Kent, Faversham)Can the hon. Gentleman say when we may expect this information? Will it be before we corns to discuss the Dockyard Vote? This question has been repeatedly put since the beginning of the Session; promises have been again and again given of an early decision, and once we were told that that decision should be made known before Whitsuntide. Yet we are now in exactly the same position as before.
§ MR. E. ROBERTSONI did hope that at the time named a decision would have been come to. Since then a definite step has been taken by the Committee on specific instructions from the Board of Admiralty, and I quite think the whole matter will be before the House before the Dockyard Vote is reached. I cannot, however, give a pledge to that effect.