§ Mr. DavidsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the members of the Ships' Names and Badges Committee, the dates and locations of meetings during the last 12 months and the costs of such meetings. [134164]
§ Dr. MoonieThe Ships Names and Badges Committee was formed in 1983 with the amalgamation of the Ships Names Committee (founded in 1913) and the Ships Badges Committee (founded in 1918). The Committee has four standing members:
- The Captain, Naval Ship Acceptance (Chairman)
- Head Naval Historical Branch, Naval Staff
- Naval Regional Officer, Scotland and Northern Ireland
- The Admiralty Librarian (Secretary).
The Committee may call upon additional specialist attendees such as the Naval Adviser on Heraldry and representatives of naval commands pertinent to the type of vessel under consideration.
Prior to July of this year, the standing committee was larger, and comprised:
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- The Captain, Naval Ship Acceptance (Chairman)
- Head Naval Historical Branch, Naval Staff
- Naval Regional Officer Scotland and Northern Ireland
- The Admiralty Librarian (Secretary)
- Naval Adviser on Heraldry
- Representatives from the staffs of:
- Commander in Chief Fleet
- Commodore Royal Fleet Auxiliary
- Director of Naval Service Conditions
- Director of Corporate Communications (Navy)
- Director of Naval Resources and Programmes.
The committee has met in the Ministry of Defence, Whitehall on three occasions over the last 12 months:
- 8 December 1999
- 8 June 2000
- 5 October 2000.
There were nine attendees at the first two meetings and three at the last. Each of these meetings has lasted one hour on average but will clearly vary subject to the number of vessels under consideration. The cost of such meetings is minimal.