§ Mr. Haleasked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty if he will state, in terms of the present value of money, the total sum spent in the most recent available 12 months' period, and in corresponding periods ended in 1955 and in 1948, on clothing for the Royal Navy, the percentages spent on clothing of wholly British manufacture, and the percentage spent on items predominantly manufactured from cotton textiles.
§ Mr. C. Ian Orr-EwingThe total sum spent on clothing for the Navy during the financial year 1961–62 was £2 million. Comparable figures for 1947–48 and 1954–55 in terms of the present value of money are £1.6 million and £4.3 million, respectively. About 99 per cent. of these sums was spent on clothing of wholly British manufacture. The amount spent on items predominantly manufactured from cotton textiles in 1947–48 is not known, but in 1954–55 and 1961–62 it was 55 per cent.