§ 24. Sir J. Langford-Holtasked the Minister of Transport how many moorings for boats and ships are maintained by his Department, and at what total annual cost.
§ Vice-Admiral Hughes HallettOne hundred and thirty-one moorings are owned and maintained by the Ministry of Transport at a present cost of about £140,000 per annum.
§ Sir J. Langford-HoltIn view of the fact that the Admiralty maintains over 1,000 of these moorings at presumably about the same cost of £1,000 per annum, would not my hon. and gallant Friend get into immediate consultation with the Admiralty to see whether at least some public money can be saved?
§ Vice-Admiral Hughes HallettThese matters are gone into very closely with the Admiralty. The cost of maintaining moorings varies with their size. The position is kept under review and we are satisfied that at present we cannot reduce the present cost of maintenance.
§ 36. Sir J. Langford-Holtasked the Minister of Transport, in view of the fact that of the seven moorings maintained by his Department at Ballachulish Bay, Argyll, at an annual cost of £7,000, only one has been used for a total period of twenty-two weeks in the last four years, whether he will now have the six unused moorings removed with a view to saving public money.
§ Vice-Admiral Hughes HallettNo, Sir. The moorings are not maintained primarily for peace-time use and in so far as their small use reflects a decrease in the number of ships laid-up, I welcome it.
§ Sir J. Langford-HoltIs my hon. and gallant Friend aware that, whatever explanation he may give of this, there 1327 appears on the surface to be no reason why, at any one time, there should be only one of these moorings? Are there not methods by which moorings can be kept reserved? One appreciates that there is a dispersal element here, but this continued complacency is quite unjustified.
§ Vice-Admiral Hughes HallettThis possibility of keeping the moorings in reserve and laying them when the emergency comes has been considered, but it has been found that it would take so long to do it that any change would be inadvisable.
§ Sir J. Langford-HoltIn view of the wholly unsatisfactory nature of that reply, Mr. Speaker, I beg to give notice that I will raise the matter on the Adjournment.