HC Deb 25 January 1962 vol 652 cc396-7
25. Mr. Harold Davies

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the amounts of foreign exchange expenditure by Great Britain on troops in Germany each year in the past five years.

Mr. Brooke

As the Answer contains a number of figures, I will, with permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Mr. Davies

Can the Minister tell the House whether those figures will indicate that on 5th March, when the deutschmark was increased in value by 4.76 per cent. to the dollar, it increased the cost of our troops in Germany? Secondly, can he tell the House whether, after his conference with the German finance authorities on 23rd and 24th March, 1960, on the payment of the Germans' post-war debt to Britain of £67½ million, his right hon. Friend suggested a formula for a payment earlier than 1972?

Mr. Brooke

The Answer which I am circulating will reply to the hon. Member's Question, but not to a number of other rather far-flung supplementary questions.

Mr. Davies

I sincerely hope that the right hon. Gentleman will not be allowed always to evade direct supplementary questions which are very pertinent to the original Question asked.

Mr. Brooke

If he recalls his words, the hon. Member will remember that he asked whether the reply I was circulating would deal with a number of other matters, and I explained, with perfect

NET FOREIGN EXCHANGE EXPENDITURE IN GERMANY FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS BY THE THREE SERVICE DEPARTMENTS (WHICH TAKES ACCOUNT OF LOCAL EXPENDITURE BY N.A.A.F.I.), PLUS N.A.A.F.I. H.Q. FOREIGN EXCHANGE EXPENDITURE IN GERMANY, IS AS FOLLOWS:
£ million
— 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961
Net expenditure 22 45 27 45 63 (estimated)
Local defence cost contributions from the Germans 41 12 24 12 Nil
Expenditure before deducting the German contribution 63 57 51 57 63

Notes

1. No figures of the total foreign exchange expenditure by Great Britain on account of her troops in Germany are available. The figures given above cover only expenditure in Germany itself. In addition there is some expenditure outside both Germany and the United Kingdom in support of such troops (e.g. on supplies for them from third countries) which are not separately identifiable and cannot be quantified.

2. Purchases overseas by N.A.A.F.I., other than in Germany, which are shipped direct to B.O.A.R. are also excluded. They are thought to be of the order of £1–2 million a year.