§ Colonel Stoddart-Scottasked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that the prison at the Verne Citadel, Portland, is being used to accommodate young men recently called up to the Army; whether he is aware that the accommodating of soldiers in a disused prison is not in keeping with the new conditions in the Army; and if he will reconsider this in view of the effect of this bad accommodation upon recruiting.
§ Mr. BellengerThe Verne Citadel, Portland, is not, and, I understand never has 329W been, a prison. I am aware that some of the barracks now used by the Army, such as the Verne Citadel, are out-of-date and require replacement by new building, but this can only be done as part of the overall plan for the modernisation of Army accommodation.