HC Deb 18 March 1936 vol 310 c413
12 and 13. Mr. ELLIS SMITH

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty (1) whether it is intended to negotiate a bilateral Anglo-German naval convention on limitation and exchange of information and supplementing the naval agreement;

(2) whether he will make a report to the House on the naval negotiations; and is it intended that a qualitative Anglo-German naval treaty should be negotiated as a supplement to the existing Anglo-German naval treaty?

Lord STANLEY

A general statement on the work of the London Naval Conference, 1935, was made in reply to a question by the hon. Member for South-West St. Pancras (Sir G. Mitcheson) on 4th February last. The technical sub-committee which was then examining definitions, etc., has since submitted a report upon those matters, and also a report upon qualitative limitation. The first committee, having considered these reports, has appointed a drafting committee to prepare the draft of a treaty with a view to signature by the participating Powers. It is our hope that similar agreements will be negotiated with other Naval Powers, these of course including Germany.

Mr. SMITH

Is the Noble Lord aware of the deep anxiety that exists in France with regard to this?