§ 36. Mr. SIMMONDSasked the Under-Secretary of State for Air whether there is being retained in the Air Ministry a section, appropriately staffed for supervising and correlating such airship research as is proceeding and contemplated and for watching foreign developments; and, if so, what is the number of admini- 843 strative and of technical staff thus employed?
§ Sir P. SASSOONA nucleus staff consisting of an airship pilot, a technical officer, and such clerical and other assistance as is necessary is being maintained at Cardington under the Superintendent of the Royal Airship Works for experimental work and for the purposes indicated in the question.
§ Mr. KIRKWOODI want to put it to you, Mr. Speaker, if I shall be in a position to put the same question to the Under-Secretary of State for Air as I put to the First Lord of the Admiralty, to which he did not reply. Is it not the case that submarines and battleships are now obsolete because the aircraft are now able to carry torpedoes that used to be carried by battleships and submarines?