§ MR. PIERPOINT (Warrington)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty what are the statistics of venereal disease amongst the crews of Her Majesty's ships, which has been contracted, or presumably contracted, at Gibraltar; and, whether he has received from the Admirals of the Channel or Mediterranean Fleets, or from any of the officers commanding any of Her Majesty's ships stationed at or calling at Gibraltar in the last twelve months, any complaints or 669 reports concerning the prevalence of such disease at Gibraltar.
MR. GOSCHENThe number of cases of venereal disease among the crews of Her Majesty's ships treated at Gibraltar Hospital have averaged during the last five years 89 annually. In the last year the number was 134. No such communications as those referred to in the last paragraph of the question have been received at the Admiralty; but I am aware that the state of things is far from satisfactory, and it has not failed to receive my careful attention.