§ SIR C. DILKE (Gloucester, Forest of Dean)I beg to ask the Civil Lord of the Admiralty whether he can give to the House any explanations of the continued retardation in the execution of Naval works; and what progress is being made at Gibraltar, as compared with the promises made to the House on the Naval Works Hill of 1895, 1896 and 1897, as well as in the Session of 1898?
§ THE CIVIL LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY (Mr. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAIN, Worcestershire, E.)It is not possible to give a full reply to the inquiries of the right, honourable Baronet within the limits of an Answer to a Question. For the explanation of the difference between estimates and expenditure in the year mentioned in the Question, I must refer the right honourable Gentleman to my Statement on the Estimates last year. The progress made at Gibraltar during the last financial year is described in the First Lord's Statement, circulated with the Estimates for the current year. It has fully come up to our expectations, and I see no reason to doubt that the contractors will finish the work within the contract time. The dates for completion are given in the Statement.