§ Captain Kerbyasked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty why the Type 61 frigates H.M.S. "Gloucester" and H.M.S. "Exeter" were cancelled under the 1957 defence cuts; and whether he is satisfied with the number of aircraft direction ships available in the fleet.
§ Mr. C. Ian Orr-Ewing:The cancellation of the specialised air defence frigate, H.M.S. "Exeter", was in line with the policy of giving all frigates an all round capability including aircraft direction. Within the resources available, I am satisfied that this policy, under which the Tribal and Leander class ships building will have an aircraft direction capability, will provide sufficient escorts for this specialised rô le. No Type 61 frigate to be known as H.M.S. "Gloucester" was ever contemplated.