§ Mr. H. BOTTOMLEYasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether, in the first instance, considerable deductions were made from the proceeds of the sale of the effects of the men who lost their lives in the disaster to Submarine C 11; whether, in one case, the amount due was stated to be 10s. 11d., and whether this sum was subsequently corrected to £3 5s. 6d., the discrepancy being attributed to a clerical error; and, if so, whether he can state how such error came to occur?
§ Mr. McKENNAThe reply to the first part of the question is in the negative. As regards the case quoted, it is true that in the first instance, for the purpose of enabling a man's legal representatives to obtain letters of administration, the amount due was stated as 10s. 11d. This sum was stated before the man's accounts had been finally audited, and it is regretted that the provisional character of the amount was by inadvertence not made clear by the Department when communicating with the man's relatives. The accounts were not closed until the abandonment of the salvage of the boat. But at no time was it the wish of the Board of Admiralty to make any deduction from the proceeds of the sale of effects on account of overpayment of wages.