§ Mr. HICKSasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty what is the present number of unestablished men in His Majesty's dockyards and naval depots over the age of 45; how many of 830W these men are likely to be retained until they reach the age of 60; and what steps, if any, are to be taken to place such men on the established list during the next few years?
Lord STANLEY:I regret that we have not the statistics available to enable me to give a precise reply to the first part of the question. With regard to the second part, it is the policy of the Admiralty to avoid discharges of unestablished men so far as is practicable and consistent with the amount of work to be done. With regard to the last part of the question, the proportion of established men now borne is considerably in excess of the normal limits, and at the present time one vacancy in six is being filled.