§ 7. Mr. Masonasked the Secretary of State for Air what progress is being made in the dismantling of the Thor missile sites; and on what date he expects the operation will be completed.
§ Mr. H. FraserThe work is proceeding as planned, and should be completed by the end of the year.
§ Mr. MasonWhat plans has the right hon. Gentleman in mind for these sites when they ate cleared? What future is planned for the trained Royal Air Force Thor Squadron?
§ Mr. FraserThe sites vary. There are a number of them. There are a number of other Questions on the Order Paper on this very point. We shall retain some sites. We shall dispose of others. We have provision for absorbing the trained personnel into the rest of the Air Force. There is no real problem here. As the hon. Gentleman knows, we have reduced recruiting thin year to a very low level, so there is no problem of redundancy.
§ Mr. MasonWill the right hon. Gentleman keep in mind the desire of some hon. Gentlemen that some of these sites which may be near to built-up areas where unemployment still persists should be passed over to the Board of Trade for use as industrial sites?
§ Mr. FraserThat is a matter for the Board of Trade. Other Government Departments will have first claim on such sites.