§ 21. Mr. Dribergasked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he will state the main reasons for the delay in the release of stokers, what steps are being taken to minimise it; and what is the average period required to train a stoker.
Mr. DugdaleThe reasons for the slower rate of release of stokers is, firstly, that while ships can, if necessary, run in peacetime with relatively few deck hands, there must always be a full complement in the engine room, and secondly, that engine room ratings are required for the care and maintenance of machinery in ships reduced to reserve. An additional call on the branch has been the need to keep a number of His Majesty's ships with full engine room complements in commission for trooping duties. About 100 junior stoker ratings have been entered for training each week since June, 1945, a total of 3,000, but the training of these men to the required degree of efficiency takes 20 weeks. As the trained men become available, the gap between stokers and seamen will diminish and releases should be nearly level by the end of this year.