Captain FABERasked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he would state for what reason Captain Archibald Moore, Chief of the Staff to Sir W. May, had been given the rank of first-class commodore; how the pay and allowances of that officer compared with those of his former positions as Naval assistant to the First Sea Lord or Captain and Chief of the Staff; whether there was any, and, if so, what precedent for such an appointment; whether there were any captains in the Home or Atlantic 239 Fleets, or Home Fleet Reserve, senior to Commodore Moore; and whether those captains were now subordinate to this officer?
§ Mr. McKENNAThe appointment of a Captain of the Fleet in the Home Fleet has been made with the object of relieving the Commander-in-Chief of some of the more routine duties of his office. The rates of pay and allowances are: Captain of the Fleet, £1,100 a year; Chief of Staff, £946 a year; Naval Assistant to the First Sea Lord, £950 a year. There are several precedents; the last Captain of the Fleet was appointed to the Mediterranean Fleet in 1871. There are two captains in the Home Fleet, and two in the Atlantic Fleet senior to Commodore Moore, whose position in regard to them is regulated by paragraph 2 of Article 194 of the King's Regulations. The hon. Member will find full information on this subject in Articles 228, 517, and 519, of the King's Regulations and Admiralty Instructions.
§ Mr. McKENNAThat is the last.