VISCOUNT TEMPLETOWNMy Lords, I rise to ask His Majesty's Government the Question standing in my name—Whether, in view of the loss of H.M.S. "Vanguard" and other ships since the commencement of the war, they will give immediate orders that all workmen sent on board vessels of our Fleet to execute any sort of work shall in future be under the supervision of the officer in command of the ship, with power to search them and inquire into their antecedents.
THE ADDITIONAL PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY OF THE ADMIRALTY (THE EARL OF LYTTON)My Lords, the loss of H.M.S. "Vanguard" in circumstances very similar to those which have resulted in the loss of other of His Majesty's ships on previous occasions is naturally a matter of the gravest concern to the authorities at the Admiralty. I desire to take this opportunity of expressing on behalf of the Admiralty their most profound sympathy with the relatives of the gallant men who lost their lives in that disaster. Of all the sacrifices which people are called upon to bear at the present time, a disaster such as this is perhaps the most difficult of all and deserving of a special measure of sympathy. It is natural that the recurrence of these explosions should lead people who read of them to endeavour to discover some cause for them and to find an explanation in the action of enemy agents, and I rather gather from the form of the Question which the noble Viscount has put on the Paper that he is also inclined to draw the same inference. On that point I can only say that the most thorough and searching inquiries were held on the last occasion that a similar explosion occurred, and that no evidence of any kind whatsoever was forthcoming to justify a suspicion of treachery or sabotage clue to the action of enemy agents. So far as it is possible to prove a negative, the authorities hold that the results of those inquiries prove that such, at any rate, was not the case. The case of the "Vanguard" is now being investigated, and until the 42 results of that investigation are received I am afraid it is impossible for me to make any statement as to the action which may ultimately be taken. I can, however, assure the noble Viscount that the suggestions contained in his Question will be most carefully considered in this connection, and, indeed, any other suggestions that we may receive from any quarter for dealing with these very serious circumstances. We owe it to the Fleet and to the relatives of the men serving in it, as well as to the general public, to take any action, whatever it may be, which may ensure the safety at home of the men who are serving in His Majesty's Navy.
VISCOUNT TEMPLETOWNAs a matter of fact, I was not in my Question suggesting action by enemy agents. But if what is being said is correct, suspicion is cast on naturalised British subjects; and, further, it is reported—I do not know with what truth—that a man supposed to have been guilty has been caught. What I wish to know is whether the Admiralty are going to allow any one coming from anywhere to go on board a vessel and work without his being under the control of an officer of the ship. That was really the object of my Question.
THE EARL OF LYTTONIf the noble Viscount had said that that was his point, I would have replied at once. There is no ground whatever for suspecting any individual in connection with this matter, and it is quite untrue that any person has been apprehended in this connection. Neither is it true that anybody is allowed on board His Majesty's ships to carry out repairs or for any other object without being subject to the closest possible scrutiny, not only with regard to birth and connections, but with regard to antecedents as well.
§ House adjourned at five o'clock, till to-morrow, a quarter past four o'clock.