HC Deb 22 December 1972 vol 848 cc479-80W
Mr. Judd

asked the Minister of State for Defence whether he will make a statement on the policy of the Government towards the management of individual naval dockyards by civilians as distinct from Service personnel.

Mr. Buck

The management of the Royal Dockyards is, in the main, civilian. However, the effective and efficient repair of modern warships, containing complex machinery and weapon systems, is best achieved by a combination of civilian engineers and their naval counterparts who have the experience of operating the machinery, weapons and equipment at sea where the full characteristics of these systems are made apparent. It continues, therefore, to be the practice, as in the United States Navy and other foreign navies, to use a number of serving naval officers at various levels in the dockyards where their operational experience is both necessary and can best be used.