HC Deb 25 March 1895 vol 32 cc20-1
MR. W. REDMOND (Clare, E.)

I beg to ask the Civil Lord of the Admiralty how much of the £28,000,000, which it is estimated will be spent in 1895–6 on the construction of new ships and the Navy generally, will be spent in Ireland?

THE CIVIL LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY (Mr. EDMUND ROBERTSON, Dundee)

I am advised by the Accountant General of the Navy that it is absolutely impossible to specify the amount that will be expended under Naval Votes either in Ireland or any other portion of the United Kingdom during the next financial year. Most of the Naval Votes have no local bearing at all. The principal Vote in which localities might be interested is that which provides for new construction. As I have already said, such firms will have every opportunity of tendering, but until tenders have been accepted it will be impossible to say what proportion even of the Shipbuilding Vote will be expended in Ireland.

DR. MACGREGOR (Inverness-shire)

Can the hon. Gentleman say how much of this money is to be spent in Scotland? Is he aware that Scotland pays a larger proportion of taxation towards this expenditure than either England or Ireland?

CAPTAIN DONELAN (Cork, E.)

How much of this Vote would be expended on the only Government dockyard in Ireland?

MR. E. ROBERTSON

I can give the hon. Gentleman a reference to the pages of the Estimates, where the expenditure for Haulbowline is provided for.

MR. W. REDMOND

Would it be too much to ask the hon. Gentleman to give an undertaking that, wherever money can be spent in Ireland, some share of this Vote would be given?

MR. E. ROBERTSON

There would be every disposition to exercise fair play and equality.

MR. J. C. FLYNN (Cork, N.)

How much of the New Construction Vote would be spent at Haulbowline?

MR. E. ROBERTSON

I am not aware that any new construction is carried out at Haulbowline.

MR. W. REDMOND

Will the Government, in considering this question, bear in mind that the increased taxation imposed by the Budget of last year fell more heavily on Ireland than on other parts of the country?

[No answer was given.]

MR. W. JOHNSTON (Belfast, S.)

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty whether, as the Admiralty are about to add to the number of training ships for the Royal Navy, they will arrange to station one of these ships in Belfast Lough?

MR. G. W. WOLFF (Belfast, E.)

I beg to ask the Civil Lord of the Admiralty whether it is the intention of the Admiralty to add to the present number of training ships for the Royal Navy; and, if so, whether he will consider the claims of Belfast to have one of these ships placed in Belfast Lough?

MR. E. ROBERTSON

I beg to answer these two questions together. As already stated in the First Lord's Memorandum, it is proposed to station a training ship at Queenstown. No other changes are in contemplation. It is intended that the Northampton should visit parts of Ireland, and Belfast Lough would be among them.