§ Sir CLEMENT KINLOCH-COOKEasked the First Lord of the Admiralty (1) whether he can give the approximate dates when the petitions from His Majesty's Dockyards were received at the Admiralty in the years 1909 and 1910, respectively; (2) if he can say at what date the 1909 petitions were answered; (3) whether it is intended to hold over the petitions received in 1910 for the same period as was done in the case of the 1909 petitions; (4) what time was allowed to elapse between the date of reply to the 1909 petitions and the date at which the Admiralty directed that the 1910 petitions should be sent in; (5) and whether, in the event of a long delay in answering these petitions, he will consider the advisability of granting a longer period of time before the next years' petitions are required to be sent in?
§ The FIRST LORD of the ADMIRALTY (Mr. McKenna)The replies to the several' parts of the hon. Member's question are as follows:—(1) At various dates about the middle of June, 1909, and 13th August, 1910, respectively; (2) 13th July, 1910; (3) the petitions received in 1910 are now under consideration, and will be replied to as early as possible; (4) one month; (5) the desirability of granting a longer period of time will be considered when, the replies to the 1910 petitions are promulgated.
§ Sir C. KINLOCH-COOKEIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that in one case the interval was only three or four days?
§ Mr. McKENNANo, Sir.
§ Sir C. KINLOCH-COOKEasked whether the attention of the right hon. Gentleman has been called to the personal inconvenience and, in many cases, financial loss occasioned to the employees in the Royal dockyards owing to the order to close the yards on 3rd June last being, in certain instances, despatched from the Admiralty as late as the afternoon of the day preceding the official holiday; whether he is aware that at some yards the holiday was observed on 3rd June and at others on 24th June; whether he will consider the advisability of fixing the holiday for the same day at all yards and of making known the date a reasonable time beforehand, so that the employés may be able to make their personal arrangements in time; and 831 whether he will, at an early date, make some announcement on the question of the holidays which, following precedent, it is understood, will be observed at the Royal dockyards on the occasion of the forthcoming Coronation?
§ Mr. McKENNAWith regard to the first three parts of the question, I would remind the hon. Member of his question on this subject of the 13th June last, and of the answer then given. The circmstances of the holiday given last June were, as the hon. Gentleman is aware, quite exceptional; and I can assure him that there is no intention of departing from the general practice of giving full notice of official holidays to the Royal yards.