§ MR. COURTHOPE (Sussex, Rye)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty whether the rapid development of submarines has caused any material alteration in the shipbuilding programmes of this or other countries with regard to the size and number of battleships and cruisers; and whether in order to secure adequate protection to the hulls of war vessels from the attack of submarines, the Admiralty will consider the advisability of offering a substantial reward for the best design offered for this purpose.
§ THE SECRETARY TO THE ADMIRALTY (Mr. Edmund Robertson, Dundee)So far as the Admiralty are aware, the reply to the first part of the Question is in the negative; and as regards the second part, the Admiralty are fully satisfied with their own design for this purpose.