§ Lord CHARLES BERESFORDasked the First Lord of the Admiralty if there is a serious shortage of numbers in the sick berth staff of the Royal Navy; whether the mobilisation of the Fleet for the manœuvres has thrown a heavy stress upon the organisation, owing to the nursing staffs in naval hospitals being seriously undermanned; how many men are enrolled in the Royal Naval Sick Berth Reserve; whether any of these Reserve men have ever been to sea; and whether he can see his way to forming a Reserve of men who have served in the Royal Navy as sick berth stewards and left on completion of their first period or on taking their pensions?
§ Mr. McKENNAThe reply to the first part of the question is in the negative. The numbers voted are being worked to without difficulty. With regard to the second part, I am not aware of any particular stress beyond what must ordinarily occur when ships are completed for manœuvres. The reply to the third part is 731 by latest returns. As to the fourth part of the question, the Royal Naval Auxiliary Sick Berth Reserve is composed of men of the St. John Ambulance Brigade. Two hundred and seventy-four men have been through a "man-of-war" course of seven days on board a ship, 155 through a seven-days' course at a naval hospital. It is not considered necessary to incur the expense involved in the proposal made in the last part of the question.