§ Lord CHARLES BERESFORDasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that before the next opportunity for giving leave to His Majesty's ship "Philomel" presents itself that ship will have gone for two different consecutive periods of over seven months without a single hour's leave having been granted to the ship's company; whether he is aware that the engine room department of this ship have been permanently in three watches which, in the heat of the Persian Gulf, must necessarily have entailed physical strain; further, as three boats have been almost continuously absent from the ship cruising, the officers and boats' crews have practically never had a complete night's rest, while to those whose work has been of a more sedentary nature the continual enforced lack of exercise has entailed considerable impairment of health; and whether the Admiralty can see their way to grant the officers and ship's company of this ship leave on a more liberal scale than the extra week usually granted when the ship pays off?
§ Mr. McKENNAPending a report from the Commander-in-Chief, East Indies, which is usual in the case of vessels serving in the Persian Gulf, but which is scarcely yet due, no assurance either as to the circumstances alleged in the question or as to the amount of additional leave to be granted, can be given. Apart from additional leave, the members of the crew will receive twenty-nine days leave.