§ Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYasked the First Lord of the Admiralty what special training, if any, on similar lines to the two year syllabus for mid- 1821W shipmen, is given to able seamen before being commissioned as mates; the number of executive and engineering special entry cadets entered in 1930, showing those from the training ships. "Conway" and "Worcester," the Nautical College, Pangbourne, and the South African training ship "General Botha," and the number of ratings commissioned as mates; and the number of executive special entry cadets entered and the numbers promoted to mate each year since 1913, and the numbers of each year now remaining on the active list?
Mr. ALEXANDERAs regards the first part of the question, as my hon. and gallant Friend will be aware, the whole question of promotion to mate is at present under the consideration of a committee. At present the King's Regulations lay down in Appendix XVII that commanding officers are to arrange that those boys who obtain a very high percentage of marks in the examination for accelerated advancement may, if otherwise suitable, advance as rapidly as possible through the various ratings, with a view to becoming eligible for mate at an early age. This necessarily results in some degree of special training being given to prospective candidates for mate. As regards the second part of the question, the numbers are as follow:
Executive. Engineering. Special Entry 11 23 Pangbourne 4 4 "Conway" 1 1 "Worcester" and "General Botha" Nil. Nil. Six ratings were selected for acting mate in 1930 and will be eligible for confirmation as mate (with consequent grant of commission) in 1931. The subjects of the third and fourth parts of the question were dealt with in my replies of 29th January, 1931, to the hon. Member for Devon-port (Mr. Hore-Belisha) [OFFICIAL REPORT, columns 1159–61, Vol. 247.]