§ 48. Sir H. Williamsasked the Prime Minister the total British personnel, civilian and service, employed in Austria; and how many of the latter are officers and other ranks, respectively.
§ The Prime MinisterI am told that it would not be in the public interest to disclose the size of our forces in Austria. The number of British civilians, including Foreign Office staff, is about 180.
§ Sir H. WilliamsWill my right hon. Friend inquire into the undue proportion of officers to other ranks and the great waste now taking place in Austria?
§ The Prime MinisterIf my hon. Friend has any relevant information on the subject, perhaps he will send it to me.
§ Mr. S. SilvermanCan the right hon. Gentleman explain to the House why it should not be in the public interest to know how many of our Forces are stationed in Austria? [Laughter.] Well, 876 we are not at war. What possible damage can be done to the public interest at this moment merely by our knowing how many officers and men we have stationed in Austria?
§ The Prime MinisterI have endeavoured so far as possible to follow the practice which I found in operation when I assumed my special duties.
§ Mr. SilvermanThat does not prevent the right hon. Gentleman from changing it.
§ The Prime MinisterI certainly should not be deterred from changing it, but I can well suppose that those who carried out the policy before felt that it was perhaps not desirable to give the exact locations and numbers of all our troops in the different parts of the Continent of Europe. If we begin by saying how many there are in one part, simple subtraction enables the actual truth to be much more precisely defined.