§ 4. Mr. Lewisasked the First Lord of the Admiralty on which previous occasions when Members of Parliament have been invited to attend the Royal Naval Review at Spithead they have had to ballot for tickets; and what is the reason for the ballot for tickets for the forthcoming Naval Review.
§ Commander NobleThere is no question of Members of Parliament not being able to attend the Coronation Review at Spithead this year; the only ballot that took place was to decide for reasons of economy which Members should go in the liners and which in one of Her Majesty's ships. A ballot has been held on a number of occasions in the past to allot the available accommodation for Members at a Naval Review; the Reviews held in 1902 and 1924 are examples.
§ Mr. LewisIn view of the fact that this is for economy, can the Minister say how much money he anticipates saving by this method, as I understand there will be about £2 million spent nationally in connection with the whole of the Coronation?
§ Commander NobleI cannot give the exact figure because it is not normal to give these figures for chartering liners, but, as the hon. Member will know, to charter additional liners would cost a considerable sum.