§ 27. Mr Reynoldsasked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty how many students have been enrolled for the first year of the three year degree course for electrical engineering at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich, September 1963.
§ Mr. C. Ian Orr-EwingAbout four probationary assistant electrical engineers will be enrolled this summer. Negotiations are still proceeding for the addition of other Government trainees to this course.
§ Mr. ReynoldsDoes the Civil Lord realise that his Answer means that there are eight or nine vacancies for this course, and that we cannot afford to waste such places? There is no security problem in having ordinary graduates in Greenwich when, at Greenwich, there are foreign officers, some having taken courses in Iron Curtain countries.
§ Mr. Orr-EwingI am aware of these facts. We are finalising arrangements for an additional eight Royal Navy scientific personnel to take this course, and we hope to secure that in September.
§ 28. Mr. Reynoldsasked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty how many students are at present taking courses at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich.
§ Mr. C. Ian Orr-EwingTwo hundred and forty-eight.
§ Mr. ReynoldsDoes the Civil Lord realise that, if properly used, the facilities at Greenwich are capable of coping with just over twice that number of students, and that there is therefore a terrific wastage there? Is he aware that many of those being trained there could be trained at Manadon, and Greenwich put to far better use as a university?
§ Mr. Orr-EwingI would not agree with the hon. Gentleman. My figures show that 330 would fill the accommodation at Greenwich unless further classrooms were 441 built and, if we did have to remove this course, very heavy capital expenditure would be incurred elsewhere, and it would, of course, interrupt a very important training programme.