§ 85. Mr. ALLEN PARKINSONasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether the use of the naval ships for the repatriation of prisoners of war and of the Czech forces in Siberia has been considered: and, if so, what were the conclusions reached and on what grounds?
§ The FINANCIAL SECRETARY to the ADMIRALTY (Dr. Macnamara)The use of His Majesty's ships for repatriation of prisoners of war and of the Czech forces in Siberia has not been considered by the Admiralty. I may say, however, that no ships of the fighting fleet could be spared for such a purpose for which they would in any case be entirely unsuitable. Certain obsolete ships might be adapted at some expense to render them fit to carry 2032 a certain number of prisoners or troops, but the Admiralty would be unable to provide any personnel, and in any case the large engine-room complements that would be required to steam these ships would render the undertaking most costly.