§ 14. Mr. Emrys Hughesasked the Minister of Defence if he will give an assurance that he is now able to defend this country against rockets.
§ Mr. WatkinsonNo, Sir; and this is why our policy is based on deterring others from shooting rockets at us.
§ Mr. HughesBut, surely, the Minister has had time to consider developments in the world. Is he aware that the Soviet rockets now travel, apparently, over 8,000 miles, and a few could easily hit this country? If he cannot defend us against rockets, what is the relevancy of this huge annual expenditure?
§ Mr. WatkinsonThe relevancy of the question is that as, at the moment, no country has adequate defence against missiles of this nature, the balance of the deterrent appears, at the moment—thank goodness—to be working rather well.