§ Dame Joan Vickersasked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will make a statement on the proposed number of the intake of yard boys in Her Majesty's Dockyards; and how many boys were recruited in 1966, 1967 and 1968.
§ Dr. David OwenThere is no complement laid down for yard boys for any H.M. dockyard; they are recruited as and when they are required and the extent of recruitment in 1969 will depend upon a number of factors including how many boys choose to leave the yard in the course of the year. As the figures below indicate recruitment of yard boys has not diminished significantly in any yard in the period in question.
Dockyard 1966 1967 1968 Portsmouth 194 270 276 Devonport 213 192 216 Chatham 121 94 115 Rosyth 42 51 44 570 607 651