§ Sir B. FALLEasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether he will consider a revision of naval meal orders whereby naval ratings may present them at any refreshment room on the railway instead of as at present being only permitted to exchange them at the station written on the meal order; and whether any payment is permitted to naval ratings for unused meal orders, that is to say, if on arrival at Waterloo the sailor wishes to have his dinner at that station he need not proceed to King's Cross, the station for his further journey on duty, or Paddington, etc.?
§ Mr. AMMONIt is not considered desirable to revise the Navy meal order arrangements as suggested. The station specified on the rating's meal order is that at which his commanding officer considers that the meal can most conveniently be obtained on the journey; and difficulties are likely to arise if ratings are given liberty to depart from the programme laid down for them when travelling on duty. Further, it is often necessary to arrange meals in advance in order to secure satisfactory service, and it would clearly be impracticable in such cases to adopt the suggested change of procedure. In actual practice, commanding officers often find it possible to leave individual ratings and small parties free to use their meal orders at any convenient, refreshment room en route, and in such cases names of stations are, of course, omitted from the meal orders. Payment in respect of unused meal orders is permitted when ratings are unable to use them 325W owing to exceptional circumstances, and consequently have to incur expense for meals, but in the case suggested by the hon. Member it would be the sailor's duty to take his meal at King's Cross, if his meal order provided for a meal there, rather than at Waterloo.