That seems to detract very considerably from his value as the man to take command in case of a Crisis in the Mediterranean.
I notice that, on page 11, the Board of Trade refer to "the Italo-Ethiopian Crisis in the Mediterranean," whereas on pages6, 7 and 8, the Colonial Office allude to "the Italo-Ethiopian dispute".
In paragraph 80 he tells us that since the Crisis in the Mediterranean trooping to the Far East has been maintained only spasmodically.
I should like the Minister to tell the House in his closing comments how he and the Government will respond to the calls for a European-wide policy to tackle the Crisis in the Mediterranean and off the shores of southern Europe.
What it requires is a robust approach to a Mediterranean Crisis - and it is a crisis and it does need to be resolved.
The Crisis in the Mediterranean has clearly been a matter of great concern for everyone involved.
May I suggest that the first statement should be a clear statement of what the Government intend to do about the Mediterranean Crisis?
In fact, only recently we deployed further personnel and three helicopters from there to assist in our operations to deal with the migrant Crisis in the Mediterranean, where they are providing valuable information to the search and rescue operation.
Thank you, Mr Speaker, for allowing this important debate on the Crisis in the Mediterranean, which is a significant cause of anxiety for Governments and people across Europe, as victims continue dying on a daily basis and countries such as Greece and Italy reach breaking point under the pressure.
The Secretary of State claims over and again that the way to tackle the Crisis in the Mediterranean is by breaking the link between travel and settlement.
What is happening in Iraq and Syria and the Crisis in the Mediterranean were two of the key reasons for ensuring that there is a full day's debate next Thursday - I hope my hon. Friend will take advantage of that - to discuss what we all regard as a crucial issue.
UK Ministers, as highlighted by James Brokenshire's remarks, suggest that resolving the Mediterranean Crisis is dependent on breaking a mythical link between boarding a boat and settling in Europe.
I also commend my hon. Friendthe Member for Wirral South (Alison McGovern), because many months ago she initiated an Adjournment debate about the Mediterranean Crisis.