§ MR. BELLAIRS (Lynn Regis)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty when the official inquiry is to be held into the flooding of the engine-room of the battleship "Irresistible" up to the level of the water outside; and, in view of the warnings that have been addressed to the Admiralty as to the danger of entrusting the work of skilled engine-room artificers to imperfectly trained mechanicians, whether he will cause inquiry to be made into the circumstances under which one of the new mechanician class was entrusted with the duty of dealing with the valves through which the ship was flooded.
§ MR. LAMBERTThe Report of the Court of Inquiry which has been held on the flooding of the "Irresistible" was received at the Admiralty on 17th June, and referred to the technical officers for observations. The Board have not yet considered the Report.