§ Captain BOWYERasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether battleships attached to the Mediterranean Fleet are refitted and repaired at Malta; and whether it would be possible, in view of the large amount of unemployment existing in the home dockyards, to have such ships refitted and repaired at those dockyards?
§ Mr. AMERYThe periodical refits and repairs of battleships attached to the1008W Mediterranean Fleet are carried out at Malta. This policy is both economical and strategically sound, but I might add that in any case the Admiralty could not leave out of account the interests of its dockyard employés in Malta, where unemployment is no less serious than here.