§ 10. Sir J. Hutchisonasked the Secretary of State for War what progress has been made in arming the forces with the F.N. rifle; and whether he will make a statement on the present position.
§ Mr. HeadOver 14,000 have been received by the Army; 12,000 of these are being used in, or are on their way to, overseas theatres.
§ Sir J. HutchisonMay I ask my right hon. Friend two other questions in that connection? When is the rifle likely to be manufactured in this country? Have any in fact been manufactured in this country? Are there any prospects that Germany, in the interests of standardisation, will adopt the same rifle?
§ Mr. HeadThe answer to my hon. Friend's first supplementary question is that production is up to—and, I hope, may be a little ahead of—schedule. The answer to the supplementary question about Germany is, "Not at present."
§ Mr. StracheyWill the right hon. Gentleman tell us whether these 14,000 are all Belgian rifles, manufactured in Belgium? Is not the manufacture of the 185 rifle in this country intolerably delayed? The delay goes on and on from year to year, and we never see the start of production here at all.
§ Mr. HeadThe answer to the first part of the right hon. Gentleman's supplementary question is "Yes." The answer to the second part is that I have frequently explained the production dates to the right hon. Gentleman, and they have not altered since I first stated them. Indeed, they have slightly improved, if anything.