§ 9. Mr. Wallasked the Minister of Defence what proposals he has for the provision of modern amphibious forces.
§ Mr. WatkinsonI am giving consideration to the future of our amphibious forces, but at present I have no statement to make.
§ Mr. WallWhen considering these problems, will my right hon. Friend bear in mind the importance of providing landing ships with sufficient speed to keep up with a Commando carrier? Will he also bear in mind that in the past this branch of our defence forces has tended to be rather neglected by the three individual Service Ministries?
§ Mr. WatkinsonI would not comment on the second half of the supplementary question at this stage, but I am certainly giving very careful study to this matter because I think that increased mobility in our defence forces is a vital factor which we must try to secure.