§ 51. Captain GARRO-JONESasked the Prime Minister whether, having in mind the failure of the Preparatory Commission on Disarmament and the Three-Party Naval Conference to make any progress to the end in view, and the urgent need of a policy of disarmament which can be recommended at Geneva with a national rather than party authority, he will consider taking counsel with authoritative representatives of each political party on this subject?
§ The PRIME MINISTERSuch study as I have been able to give to the recently expressed opinions, oratorical and literary, of the Leaders of the 492 Opposition, has forced me to the reluctant conclusion that no useful purpose would be served by adopting the suggestion of the hon. and gallant Member.
§ 53. Captain GARRO-JONESasked the Prime Minister whether the Government regards itself as free to oppose, in computations of armed strength made for the purposes of disarmament, the omission of trained reserves and submarines of less than 600 tons?
§ The UNDER-SECRETARY of STATE for FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Mr. Godfrey Locker-Lampson)I have been asked to reply. I would refer the hon. and gallant Member to the answer given on the 8th of November to the hon. Member for Northampton (Mr. Malone).
§ Captain GARRO-JONESIs it not the case that we are free to take objections to these proposals and can the Under-Secretary say what weight our objections will have, seeing that we at once concurred in the French point of view on the ground of expediency?
§ Mr. LOCKER-LAMPSONAs the hon. and gallant Member knows, we are going to have a Debate on this question tomorrow, and then probably he will be able to raise these points.