§ MR. JENKINS (Chatham)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty whether, in view of the distress consequent upon the reduction of men which has been taking place during the last two years from His Majesty's dockyard at Chatham, where there are 1,200 houses unoccupied, he will offer the same facilities to the Chatham dockyard to compete as to tenders for the construction of the battleship as is afforded private firms.
§ MR. EDMUND ROBERTSONThe battleships of this year's programme are, and those of future years are likely to be, of such dimensions that they cannot be completed at Chatham, and the reply to the question is therefore in the negative. At the same time every consideration is being given to the supply of suitable work for this dockyard.