§ Q4. Mr. Ronald Atkinsasked the Prime Minister if he will instruct the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs, the Secretary of State for Defence and the Minister of Labour to assess the nation's need for manpower and to consider whether selective releases of members of the Armed Forces returning from abroad be in the national interest.
§ The Prime MinisterRegular assessments are already made both of the overall manpower needs of the nation and of the specific needs of the Armed Forces.
§ Mr. AtkinsIs my right hon. Friend aware that some experts believe that the present numbers of men in the Armed Forces may be excessive for highly-mechanised forces apart from the reduced need for men in the Forces? Will he, therefore, reconsider his Answer and make it possible to give more purposive employment to a number of men in the national interest?
§ The Prime MinisterI think my hon. Friend will agree that it would be right for the House to wait, and for my hon. Friend to wait, until we are in a position to make a full statement on the results of our defence considerations which are going on at present. Obviously, manpower must be one of the questions raised in such a survey.
§ Sir Ian Orr-EwingWill the Prime Minister tell us what is to happen to our economy in Great Britain if we are no longer able with a population of 52 million to employ 400,000 in our Armed Forces and to pay and equip them?
§ The Prime MinisterThis raises wide questions about defence policy. I am sure the hon. Member, who has great knowledge of defence questions from his service in Departments concerned with these matters, will want to wait until we make a statement about defence when he could raise that question again.