§ 31. Mr. Stokesasked the First Lord of the Admiralty how many persons are employed in the Public Relations Department of his Ministry?
§ The First Lord of the Admiralty (Mr. A. V. Alexander)The staff employed under the Admiralty on Public Relations and Press Work (including a small number of staff engaged on censorship work whose activities cannot be clearly marked off from those of the rest of the staff) totals 81.
§ Major-General Sir Alfred KnoxWill the right hon. Gentleman communicate with the Secretary of State for Air to see why the Air Ministry require two or three times that number for the same purposes?
§ 32. Mr. A. Edwardsasked the First Lord of the Admiralty how many officials of his Department have been dismissed or 1904 penalised for negligence in connection with contractors in Liverpool recently found guilty of fraud?
§ Mr. AlexanderNo Admiralty officials have been dismissed or penalised for negligence in connection with the contractors convicted in Liverpool. Since the conclusion of the recent trial the whole of the circumstances are being carefully examined. I might add that the Admiralty had very little direct contract work with the firm implicated in the trial referred to.