Mr. MALONEasked the First Lord of the Admiralty when it is proposed that the Welfare Committee should be called together again; whether he is aware that there is considerable disasatisfaction on the lower deck due to the fact that the two societies, namely, the Royal Naval Mechanicians', Chief Stokers', Stoker Petty Officers', Leading Stokers', and Stokers' Benefit Association and the Seamen's, Signalmen's, and Telegraphists' Benefit Society, representing 70 to 80 per cent. of the lower deck, have not the same voting power as each of the remaining 17 societies, whose membership only represents about 20 per cent. of the Navy; and whether he will consider the alternative of dissolving the present Welfare Committee and re-electing the same on a proportionate basis, the committee to be called into being to consider the various outstanding matters immediately after election?
§ Sir J. CRAIGIt has been decided that no steps shall be taken to assemble another Welfare Conference this autumn as there is no indication of any Service need for this to be done. The action to be taken next year will be decided by the Admiralty in due course with reference to what may appear to be the wishes and the best interests of the Service. As regards the section part of the question, it is necessary, in order that requests affecting each branch of the Service may receive equal consideration, that the conference of interport representatives, and also the advisory ratings attached to the Welfare Committee itself, should be representative of branches, not numbers. The numbers included in each branch are, of course, known to the Admiralty, and all requests put before the Welfare Committee on behalf of any branch are considered both there and by the Admiralty, whether the representatives of other branches support them or not. The reference in the hon. Member's question to benefit societies is due to a misapprehension. It would be taking these benevolent associations outside their proper sphere to introduce them into this matter.