§ Sir W. PRESTONasked the First Lord of the Admiralty, with regard to the Chilian battleship which is being reconditioned at one of His Majesty's dockyards, whether he is aware that such 1401W battleships have hitherto always been reconditioned at private shipyards; whether the Admiralty have offered the Chilian Government a fixed price for the reconditioning in question or are they charging cost plus overhead and a percentage for profit; and whether our private yards had an opportunity of putting in a competitive price?
Mr. ALEXANDERThe hon. Member is doubtless unaware that had this work not been obtained by the Admiralty it could not have been undertaken in this country at all, since no private yards had the necessary facilities at their disposal to enable them to undertake the contract. In view of the large value of the order and the employment given through its means, not only at Devon-port but in other areas engaged on production of material for the refit, it would have been unfortunate in the extreme had the contract had to be placed outside this country. I do not, therefore, regret the decision to carry out this work at a Royal Dockyard.