§ Mr. Parkerasked the First Lord of the Admiralty when the Admiralty intend to put the work in hand for building the two missing hostels of the Royal Hospital School. Holbrook, for the accommodation of a further 160 sons and orphans of naval ratings; and, observing that Greenwich Hospital, of which the school is a part, has capital worth about £6,000,000, with large sums on loan and in investments and an annual income of nearly £250,000, and that the late Mr. G. S. Reade left a legacy, in 1929, of £425,000 in trust to complete the school, why the missing hostels cannot be built without appealing to the public and the Royal Navy for charitable money for naval orphans?
Mr. CooperAs was explained to the hon. Member in answer to a question on 1st June, the income of Greenwich Hospital is at present fully spent. If a part of the existing capital were now to be spent on the provision of additional hostels there would be insufficient income to provide for the education and maintenance of the present number of boys bearing in mind the many liabilities which fall on the hospital in providing other benefits for naval personnel and their dependants.