HC Deb 31 May 1961 vol 641 cc250-1
34. Mr. Kelley

asked the Secretary of State for Air what steps he is taking to ensure the utmost economy in expenditure on the work of preparing the Royal Air Force Station, Finningly, for a forthcoming Royal visit.

Mr. W. J. Taylor

There has been no unreasonable expenditure in connection with this visit.

Mr. Kelley

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that there are a number of people who believe that the lavishness of the expenditure, in which he says that there was no undue extravagance, to some extent embarrassed the Royal person whom it was intended should visit the station? For instance, does he believe that no lavish expenditure is incurred when technicians are asked to crawl about the roof of a hangar to destroy birds' nests, throw the eggs to the ground and destroy the young? Is it not possible that that resulted in the statement made last Thursday about a certain Royal occasion to which we are all looking forward?

Mr. Taylor

Birds do nest in the springtime and sometimes we have to deal with the birds when they put the nests in the wrong places. I do not think that there has been any embarrassment to the Royal personage concerned in these arrangements. A certain amount of routine work was done—painting which should have been done a few months ago was delayed slightly and so on. The whole place was given a spring clean and made to look neat and tidy. That is all to the credit of the Service and the commanding officer of the station concerned.