§ Mr. Parkerasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether, in the forthcoming statement explanatory of the Navy Estimates, the First Lord of the Admiralty will return to the former practice of giving the probable dates of completion of the various new ships authorised, a feature which in recent years has gradually dropped out?
§ Mr. ShakespeareThe general practice followed in recent years, to which it is proposed to adhere, is to indicate in the explanatory statement accompanying the Navy Estimates, the new ships which are expected to complete in the forthcoming year, probable dates or periods of the year being given where these can be reliably forecast. The information afforded in this way, read in conjunction with that appearing against individual ships in the programme pages of the Estimates will, I trust, meet the hon. Member's requirements.