§ MR. CHARLES HOBHOUSE (Bristol, E.)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether, before substituting the royal garrison battalions at Malta and Gibraltar for Regular battalions, he consulted the Governments of either of those places or the Colonial Defence Committee; and, if so, what answer he obtained from them.
LORD STANLEYNo, Sir. The selection of troops to defend a fortress rests with the Commander-in-Chief.