LORD TEYNHAMMy Lords, I beg leave to ask His Majesty's Government the question standing in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The question was as follows:
§ To ask His Majesty's Government how many of His Majesty's ships which have been sold or are about to be sold to foreign Powers are now undergoing repairs in His Majesty's dockyards.]
§ VISCOUNT HALLMy Lords, repairs to two of His Majesty's destroyers and one frigate which are being sold to foreign countries are in hand at His Majesty's Dockyard at Devonport.
LORD TEYNHAMI thank the noble Viscount for his reply. Is he aware that these ships are taking up space which is urgently required for the repair and maintenance of ships of the Reserve Fleet?
§ VISCOUNT HALLWe are fully aware of that fact, but at the same time it is felt that to repair the other ships is rendering a service to the Governments who purchased them. Otherwise, probably, the ships would be scrapped. The question of possible interference with the refitting or repair of ships of the Reserve Fleet will always be taken into consideration.
LORD TEYNHAMArising out of the noble Viscount's further reply, would he see that such work in future is carried out by private contract, rather than by His Majesty's Dockyards, so that ships of the Reserve Fleet can be brought into the proper state of repair and efficiency in the shortest possible time?
§ VISCOUNT HALLThere has to be a balance. For six years the merchant ships did not have anything like complete repair, and when I tell the noble Lord that in repair and conversion no less than 3,000,000 tons of shipping is in hand at one time, he will appreciate how difficult it is to distinguish between one and another. I can assure him that we are giving close attention to the repairs of the Reserve Fleet at the present time.