asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what is the shortage of officers and seamen required to man vessels already in commission or to be put in commission in 1913–14; how far will such shortage be made good by men now in training; and if the estimated expenditure on crews for next year is framed on the assumption that full strength will be obtained in that year?

I propose to deal fully with the manning problem when I introduce the Navy Estimates next week.