§ MR. SWIFT MACNEILL (Donegal, S.)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty whether the Admiralty authorities are now endeavouring to procure the services of boys and youths under eighteen who were formerly only enlisted as bluejackets for the engineering department of the Royal Navy; if so will those boys and youths be subject, as in the case of boys and youths who enlist as bluejackets in the Royal Navy, to floggings, according to the King's Regulations, and to canings for trivial offences, such punishments to be inflicted by the ship's police and in the presence of all the boys on board ship; and, if so, will the boys and youths thus invited to enlist and their parents and guardians be apprised of the conditions of service in the Royal Navy.
§ THE SECRETARY TO THE ADMIRALTY (Mr. PRETYMAN, Suffolk, Woodbridge)Boys are being entered for training for the artificer branch of the Royal Navy. They are subject to the general rules as regards discipline in force in the Royal Navy. The recruiting pamphlet states the general conditions of service, including the liability referred to in the second part of the hon. Member's Question.
§ MR. SWIFT MACNEILLNow I want to put this plain Question. Are these boys subject to flogging with the birch or cane as in the case of ordinary bluejackets, and is that fact made perfectly well known to parents before the boys 1712 are allowed to enter the engineering department? I want to advertise this.
§ MR. PRETYMANI think the hon. Gentleman has already accomplished that, but it has not affected recruiting for the Navy.
§ MR. SWIFT MACNEILL rose to put a further Question.
§ *MR. SPEAKEROrder, order! The hon. Member announced that he wanted to advertise something. This is not the time or place for that.