§ Commander BELLAIRSasked the Secretary of State for Air whether he will give the full terms of the contract under which the airship is being constructed; and whether this contract provides for a safety outer envelope of inert gas against lightning or any other safety arrangement against destruction by lightning?
§ Sir S. HOAREAs regards the first part of the question, the substance of the proposed contract has already been made known to Parliament in Command Paper 2147 of last year, and the terms of the contract are in accordance with the proposals there set forth. As the contract covers 40 printed pages I do not consider that its publication would justify the expense, and I may add that it would in any case be a departure from the usual practice to publish the full details of an ordinary contract. As regards the second part, the contract contains no specific provision for a safety envelope of inert gas, but it provides that the Airship Guarantee Company is to build inflate as may be considered necessary by the Secretary of State, test and complete the airship. It may be added that the safety arrangements in connection with the airship are being considered by a special panel of the Aeronautical Research Committee who advise the Department as to the safety requirements generally.