§ MR. BOWLESI beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty whether he has now completed his inquiry into the manner in which quarterly firing practice was carried out by the Sheerness Reserve Division in April last; whether, in order to comply with the admiral's orders,. H.M.S. "Vindictive" fired the whole of her 6-inch heavy gun ammunition in ten minutes, while only two ships were permitted to use a proper range for this purpose; whether the responsibility for this-waste of training and ammunition lies, by King's Regulation, upon the roar-admiral commanding the division; and, if so, what steps the Admiralty have taken to enforce this responsibility and to ensure that such waste shall not recur.
§ MR. EDMUMD ROBERTSONAs the result of the inquiry now completed, it would appear that the hon. Member has been misinformed, and that there is no foundation whatever for the suggestion that there was any waste of ammunition, or that the firing practice was in any way hurried.