§ Mr. HOHLERasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether civilian officers employed at Home and Abroad in His Majesty's naval establishments are given the same facilities for qualifying as interpreters in foreign languages as officers in the Service afloat; and, if not, will he grant the same facilities or state what is the reason for drawing a distinction between them.
§ Mr. McKENNAThe answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. Naval officers are encouraged to acquire an expert knowledge of foreign languages, firstly, because such knowledge can usefully be employed in times of peace on the occasion of visits by His Majesty's ships to foreign ports; and, secondly, because it would be extremely valuable in time of war. These considerations do not apply with the same cogency to the case of civilian officers in dockyards and other naval establishments.