§ Mr. Hoyleasked the Secretary of State for Defence why the "Uganda", while it is part of the Falklands expeditionary force does not have an all British crew; why the necessary conversions to the structure of the "Uganda" to make this possible were not carried out; and what will be the position of the Indian nationals on the "Uganda" if hostilities break out.
§ Mr. BlakerThe P & O Liner "Uganda" has been requisitioned solely as a hospital ship and has formally been declared as such. She thus enjoys protected status under the Geneva conventions and none of her crew may be captured. A large proportion of the regular crew of the "Uganda" is Asian and this will continue to be the case while she is operating as a hospital ship. All members of her crew are volunteers for this role. No conversion was necessary to the crew accommodation on board the ship.