§ 18. Major Wallasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty what has been the reduction during the past twelve months in the numbers of the uniformed branches of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, compared with the civilian and non-uniformed branches; and what percentage of the total this reduction forms in each case.
§ Mr. SoamesThe Vote A strength fell by 7,000 or 5¾ per cent. between 1st October, 1956, and 1st October, 1957. In the same period the numbers of Admiralty civilian employees fell by about 10,000 or about 5½ per cent.
§ Major WallIs my hon. Friend aware that there is very considerable anxiety at the apparent trend, not borne out by his Answer to this Question, that the uniformed branches are falling more rapidly than the non-uniformed branches in the Navy? Will he make certain that the non-uniformed branches of the Navy, the civil servants, are cut to the same or to an even greater degree than the uniformed branches?
§ Mr. SoamesI hope, as my hon. and gallant Friend has said, that this Answer will serve to right this erroneous impression.