HC Deb 22 June 1966 vol 730 cc549-50
1. Mr. Kershaw

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when he next proposes to visit Bahrain.

The Secretary of State for Defence (Mr. Denis Healey)

On 15th July.

Mr. Kershaw

Will the right hon. Gentleman realise when he visits there that Bahrain is no substitute for Aden, and can he tell the House how much money he proposes to save by substituting Bahrain for Aden?

Mr. Healey

I entirely agree that Bahrain is no substitute for Aden, otherwise we would not be saving a large amount of money by going there, but Bahrain and the other facilities we expect in the Persian Gulf will be fully adequate to enable us to carry out all our commitments in that area. On the question of the precise amount of money we expect to save, I cannot add to what was said in the Defence White Paper and the debates which followed.

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