§ MR. HUNT (Shropshire, Ludlow)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty whether, in view of the fact that Germany will have, in a few months, sixteen or eighteen battleships ready for instant action, and as our Home Fleet must necessarily be a fleet in reserve, and therefore quite unable to be ready to meet a sudden attack, he will say what other battleships, besides the fourteen of the Channel fleet, will be instantly available to defend our shores.
§ MR. EDMUND ROBERTSONWhile deprecating most strongly the selection of one particular Power as the hypothetical enemy, I cannot admit the hon. Member's suggestion that the Home Fleet will be unable to meet a sudden attack.
§ MR. HUNTHow can a fleet be said to be fully manned and instantly ready for sea when the crews are nucleus crews, some of whom are insufficiently trained and unused to their ships?
§ * MR. SPEAKERThat is a question for debate on the Navy Estimates.