§ 38. Mr. T. J. Brooksasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty how many men were discharged from the Navy from 1940 to 1946 suffering from tuberculosis; and how many died whilst in the Service, or were discharged suffering from this disease aggravated by, or attributable to their service in the Navy, respectively.
§ Mr. W. EdwardsAs the reply contains a number of figures, I will, with permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Mr. BrooksWill the Civil Lord tell us whether the Naval barracks have been very much improved since the war, because it is felt by many people that a good deal of tuberculosis is created by overcrowded sleeping and bad eating conditions?
§ Mr. EdwardsI can say from my own experience that there has been a great improvement in the conditions in at least one Naval establishment—the Royal Naval Barracks, Chatham. The conditions there were altogether different when 873 I visited the barracks recently from what they were in 1942, when I left them to come here. I am also glad to say that the men there now sleep in a different room from that in which they eat. It has always been the custom in the Navy for the men to sleep where they eat.
§ Mr. BrooksI am sure that that answer will give a good deal of satisfaction to the people of this country.
§ Following is the reply:
| Officers and Men invalided for Pulmonary Tuberculosis during the years 1940–46 | 9,010 |
| Cases accepted by the Ministry of Pensions during the years 1940–46 | 9,614* |
| Attributable | 3,777 |
| Aggravated | 5,837 |
| Deaths during service | 430 |
§ (It is not possible to say from the records in how many of these cases of death claims were accepted by the Ministry.)
§ * Includes post discharge claims from men invalided for reasons other than tuberculosis: for example, injury
§ It is not possible to say from the records how many post discharge claims are included.