MR. GIBSON BOWLESI beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty, with regard to the system of contracting pursued by the Admiralty in respect of naval works for which an expenditure has been authorised of £23,636,922, under which system the Admiralty settles in its own Works Department the design and plans of these works and all the details of their construction, and puts up to competition the price alone at which the works thus conditioned will be executed, will His Majesty's Government consider the desirability of putting up to competition the design and plan of any future works, as well as their price; and, if not, will he state the reasons for adhering to the present system.
§ THE CIVIL LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY (Mr. PRETYMAN,) Suffolk, WoodbridgeThe practice usually followed at the Admiralty is correctly described by the hon. Member. The design and plan of works, and details of their construction, are settled in the Works Department, and the price of carrying out the works is alone made a matter of competition. This practice is in conformity with that ordinarily followed by dock and railway companies and harbour boards which possess an adequate engineering staff. The system under which the design and plan of works are made the subject of competition would, however, be adopted in any case in which, in the opinion of the Admiralty, it offered distinct advantages.