HC Deb 04 February 1975 vol 885 cc471-2W
Mr. Hooley

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will arrange to increase the staff of the Hydrographer of the Navy in order to ensure adequate charting of abandoned oil rigs or other submersible equipment associated with nil and gas exploration.

31st December 1944* 31st December 1954 31st December 1964 30th September 1974
Royal Navy/Royal Marines†
Admiral of the Fleet 2 1 1 1
Admiral 14 10 8 7
Vice-Admiral 23 28 17 14
Rear-Admiral 79 69 55 53
Army
Field Marshal 3 1 1
General 9 12 9 10
Lieutenant-General 52 19 16 11
Major-General 245 126 101 82
RAF
Marshal of the Royal Air Force 1 1 1
Air Chief Marshal 8 6 6 7
Air Marshal 27 19 20 15
Air Vice-Marshal 125 77 68 51
* These figures are taken from the Active Lists for 1944. They do not, therefore, include those retired senior officers who were re-employed during the war in their former rank. This information is not available.
† The figures quoted cover both the Navy ranks listed and the equivalent ranks of the Royal Marines.

Mr. Judd

The Government response to the Report of the Select Committee on Science and Technology on offshore engineering (HC 313) will be available shortly. The Hydrographic Study Group, the formation of which was announced on 17th July 1974—[Vol. 877, c.159.]—is expected to report in March. Decisions concerning the future size of the Hydro-graphic Department will be taken in the light of these two documents.