§ Sir W. Davisonasked the First Lord of the Admiralty in what circumstances have detailed particulars of the losses of ships and personnel suffered by Great Britain and her Allies in the recent three days' battle of Java been published, thereby giving valuable and reliable information to the enemy, while on the other hand the only statement available with regard to enemy losses is that these are not known; and whether arrangements will be made between the Allied Powers that information of this kind of value to the enemy should not be published, as is the practice of the British Admiralty in refraining from giving particulars of the destruction of U-boats?
§ Mr. George HallThe practice of the Admiralty since the outbreak of war has been to publish losses of His Majesty's ships due to enemy action as soon as possible after the event. It is realised that the enemy may thus occasionally be presented with information, but the disadvantages of concealing our losses from the public are manifest, and it is not proposed to alter present arrangements. In the case of the battle of Java, the enemy had already claimed the sinking of the ships concerned. The practice of the Admiralty is similar to that of our Allies and the Dominions. The communique of 14th March was an agreed one.