§ 7. Colonel GRETTONasked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he can state the dates when the vessels of the 1932 programme will be laid down; and at what dates they will be completed in each case?
Sir B. EYRES MONSELLThe vessels will be ordered on various dates between January and March 1933, except the Sloops, which will be ordered in May. They will be laid down in the course of the year on dates to be settled by the shipbuilders. The Cruisers and the Destroyer Depot Ship will be completed in about 2½ years from date of ordering, the Flotilla Leader, Destroyers, Submarines and Sloops in about two years, the Minesweeper Sloops in about 1½ years, and the Gunboat and small craft in about one year.