§ Lieut.-Colonel Sharpasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty the demobilisation date of stokers in release Groups 55 and 56; and whether he will ensure that stokers on H.M.S. "Ansonia" are released at that time.
Mr. DugdaleStokers in Age and Service Group 55 and 56 are due for release during the period 28th October–25th November, 1946. In the past, the releases of stokers have lagged behind the average of the Navy. Every effort has been made to bring them up to the average, and it may now be said that they have approximately reached it. To maintain this position, it is necessary to order release of a Group as soon as it is reasonably certain that the majority can be spared. Owing, however, to the size of some groups and the difficulty of obtaining reliefs, it is frequently necessary to carry over some releases into the next period, and no assurance can be given that these will not include some of the stokers in H.M.S. "Ausonia."