§ 14. Mr. Willisasked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty whether it is proposed to commission H.M.S."Blake" when the necessary manpower is available; and when it is expected this will be done.
§ Mr. HayYes, Sir. When this will be done depends on the success of the measures we are taking to overcome the manpower shortages—to which I referred in my Answer to the hon. Member for West Lothian (Mr. Dalyell) on 19th June.
§ Mr. WillisHas the hon. Gentleman any idea when these manpower shortages are likely to be lessened, because some of them were dependent upon what happened at Malta, and surely it is possible to have some idea of events there and the possibilities of trained men coming forward to have this vessel commissioned?
§ Mr. HayYes, but the events at Malta, to which reference was made in Questions on earlier occasions, were not the only events which caused this temporary shortage. I am afraid it is not possible to generalise and say that the shortages will be overcome at a certain date, because a number of factors are involved. I think that the hon. Gentleman has a Question on the 363 Paper asking for details about that. I am afraid I cannot go beyond that this afternoon.