§ Sir A. WILLIAMSONasked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he is aware that many of the fishermen from the Moray Firth who enlisted at the beginning of the War in the Royal Naval Reserve and the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, and were employed until the signing of the Armistice on mine-sweeping and boom defence, are still stationed at Scapa Flow and elsewhere and have not yet been demobilised; if he is aware that these men depend mainly for their livelihood on their earnings during the herring fishery season, which starts in April; and if it is proposed to release them in time for them to return home for the coming season?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAI am advised that most of the fishermen in whom my hon. Friend is interested belong to the trawler section, Royal Naval Reserve, and that there can be but few of them who enlisted at the beginning of the War and have been employed on mine-sweeping still stationed at Scapa. There may, however, still be some such who are volunteers for mine-clearance employed at the Orkney base. As regards boom defence work, these1108W vessels are not manned by the trawler section, Royal Naval Reserve. They are manned by T. 124 men, and orders have been issued for the remaining boom defence trawlers and drifters to be released by the end of this month. Skippers on Agreement T. 124 have been demobilised when the craft they commanded were paid off, and fishermen under that agreement are allowed to go when the vessels on which they serve are released from Admiralty service.