HL Deb 01 August 1956 vol 199 cc515-7

2.34 p.m.

LORD TEYNHAM

My Lords, I beg to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

[The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any statement to make on the work of the committees which, as mentioned in the speech of the First Lord of the Admiralty on the Naval Estimates on May 9, were set up to examine further naval economies.]

THE FIRST LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY (VISCOUNT CILCENNIN)

My Lords, I welcome the opportunity of making such a statement. Your Lordships already know what has been done in the past two years to improve the structure and organisation of the personnel side of the Navy—I refer to the General Service Commission, the centralised drafting system, the new officer structure, the new terms of engagement for Regular ratings, and, of course, the new Pay Code.

We have also been examining the efficiency of the Navy's shore support, since every economy we can effect in this field will help us to concentrate our resources on building the Fleet and keeping it in commission. The shore support of the Navy is necessarily a heavy commitment, both in men and money, but a great deal of it is unavoidable. The modern Navy, as your Lordships know, includes the Fleet Air Arm, a large part of which has to be based ashore. More complicated weapons and equipment demand facilities ashore for refit and maintenance. Moreover, a good deal of training has to be done ashore. Economies, however, are still to be made, and I have therefore set up committees with full powers to survey the whole field: storage, maintenance establishments, training centres, research stations and, of course, the Admiralty itself. This survey has become known as The Way Ahead.

The field covered is large, as noble Lords will see from the list which I circulate with the OFFICIAL REPORT. A saving of 5,000 posts ashore held by uniformed personnel will result. This will do a great deal to protect the seagoing Fleet against the planned decline in Vote A numbers. We are aiming to cut out still more of these uniformed posts ashore. We have had a close review of our stores holdings, with the object of keeping only those we really need and getting rid as quickly as possible of those we do not. This alone will lead to substantial economies, but we are also going on to reorganise and concentrate into fewer stores depots.

We have had a similar review of all naval training. Elementary specialist training will in future be done at sea so far as possible, and we are reorganising our training ashore so as to cut out the overheads of redundant establishments. The Royal Naval Barracks are being reorganised so that in future they will be largely training centres. The net result will be the closing of a number of separate training establishments. The new strategy and the essential mobility of the Fleet have opened up the possibility of reducing the size of a number of our Fleet Bases, some quite considerably.

I have already announced the setting up of a committee to examine the Admiralty Materiel Organisation, and an additional committee is now at work which will supplement this by covering the other Divisions of the Admiralty. We are fully aware at the Admiralty that naval activities ashore touch local interests at many points, and not least in the employment we provide in our establishments. In deciding on the pace of these reductions we shall ensure that those interests are safeguarded, so far as we possibly can.

As I have said, my Lords, I am circulating in the OFFICIAL REPORT a detailed list of reductions. Some of these are already being carried out; others have been provisionally approved, subject to detailed planning. Many of these reduction; involve complicated moves and some are bound to take a little time. I would emphasise to your Lordships, however, that this is only an interim report. I am sure there will be further reductions to come.

Following are the details of the reductions referred to:

A FIRST LIST OF REDUCTIONS TO BE MADE IN THE SHORE SUPPORT OF THE ROYAL NAVY

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