HC Deb 10 December 1919 vol 122 cc1482-3

Motion made, and Question proposed, That a sum, not exceeding £109,000, be granted to His Majesty, to defray the expense of the Royal Naval Reserve, the Royal Fleet Reserve, and the Royal Naval Volunteers, etc., which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of March, 1920, in addition to a sum of £350,000 to be allocated for this purpose from the sum of £120,000,000 voted on account of Navy Services generally.

Viscount CURZON

I would like to ask one question with regard to the Royal Naval Reserve. Can the right hon. Gentleman, as soon as possible, give some indication of the policy of the Admiralty with regard to the future of the Royal Naval Reserve, if not now, when the next Estimates are produced?

Mr. LONG

I can assure my Noble Friend that the inability of the Board of Admiralty definitely to state what the policy shall be in future is not due to want of consideration or of appreciation on our part of the natural inconvenience to both officers and men of the state of ambiguity in which we now are. It is really inseparable from the world conditions, and if we were to act hastily now I am certain the first people to condemn us hereafter would be the very hon. Gentle- men who are now urging us to a, hasty conclusion. At the earliest possible moment we will announce, either here in Parliament, or, if Parliament is not sitting, by other methods, what the policy is with regard to the members of the Navy and the future of officers and men and of the Reserve.

Captain HAMILTON BENN

I desire to press the subject of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, and to emphasise the necessity for doing something about it. at an early date, but I recognise that at this time of night it would not receive the sympathetic hearing that I wish it to have. Therefore, I propose only to ask the right don. Gentleman whether he will give this matter his very special attention. It does not depend upon the post-war policy of the Navy. It is a Reserve of men which can be obtained without any large expense and which will always be required in every circumstance, and there is no reason for withholding the intentions of the Admiralty with regard to them. There are something over 50,000 of these, officers and men, who have been demobilised in the past year, and something should be done in regard to training them.

Mr. LONG

Nobody has a better right to represent the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve than my hon. and gallant Friend, who has rendered magnificent service during the War and who is fully entitled to hear that their services shall be remembered in any reconstruction that may be before us. I do not think he is quite right when he says it is not a part of our general policy. I can assure him that it has not been lost sight of and that we are anxiously considering how we can organise a system for the future which will give us the Navy that we actually require for our protection here and throughout the Empire, and a system which is capable of rapid development, so that we may take advantage of those Volunteer associations which have rendered us such splendid service during the War and whose record is one which will secure the certainty of their being included in any scheme which may be developed in the future.

Question put, and agreed to.