HC Deb 02 December 1942 vol 385 c1143
31. Mr. Keeling

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport why a ship, of which he has been informed, carried 1,500 tons of ballast instead of cargo during the first nine months of 1942?

Mr. Noel-Baker

I can assure my hon. Friend that any ballast carried by this ship is required to ensure her stability on the high seas and that, subject to the exigencies of her employment as a troop carrier, every opportunity is taken to load the maximum amount of cargo.

Mr. Keeling

Has my hon. Friend seen my letter to him in which I said that the ship's officers were of a different opinion; and does he think that this shipping space would have remained unused if the ship had been under business instead of bureaucratic control?

Mr. Noel-Baker

There are Service and security considerations which cannot be indicated even to the ship's officers. If I may, I would like to give my hon. Friend a full account of this ship's movements in recent times, but I cannot do so in public.