§ 17. Sir Waldron Smithersasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what purpose is served by the British Middle East Office in Cairo; how many persons are on its staff; and what is the annual cost.
§ Mr. EdenI would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Altrincham and Sale (Mr. Erroll) on 3rd December.
§ Sir W. SmithersIn view of the fact that we must economise and that this office appears to be serving no useful purpose, will my right hon. Friend consider closing it down or materially reducing the personnel and expenditure that is incurred?
§ Mr. EdenWe have reduced the expenditure of a number of our organisations, including this one, but, with respect to my hon. Friend, this office is serving a very useful purpose. There is a supply there of technicians that gives service to the whole Middle East area. That is a very good thing for the reputation of Britain and a very good service for that area.
Mr. Philips PriceWill the Foreign Secretary consider, bearing in mind that this office, as he states, is of immense value to the Middle East, particularly in the economic development of the Middle East and raising the standard of living there, if it cannot be continued in Cairo because of the conditions there, translating it to some other place in the Middle East where it can continue its valuable work?