§ 16. Mr. Boyd-Carpenterasked the Minister of Public Building and Works what is the value of the work done by his Department for the Armed Forces at and adjoining stations in the Persian Gulf since October, 1964.
§ Mr. MellishAbout £14,500,000; at Bahrain and Sharjah.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterCan the right hon. Gentleman say whether that expenditure is still continuing? Does not the size of this indicate the high cost of the precipitate reversal of Government policy announced recently?
§ Mr. MellishI would put it to the right hon. Gentleman that if we had stayed on in the Middle East we should have been committed to far more money. I understand that at least about £20 million would be spent. I must concede to the right hon. Gentleman that this does not mean, because we are moving out of the Gulf within a certain time, that no more money will be spent here. I cannot give the right hon. Gentleman the exact figures but I am prepared to investigate this and will write to him.
§ Mr. ShinwellCan my right hon. Friend say whether, when he ulimately vacates the site for which we have been financially responsible, we will get some financial return for them?
§ Mr. MellishI cannot answer that. My right hon. Friend will know that I am interested in the present. As to what 12 will happen at the end, when we leave the area, I cannot say, but I will certainly investigate this and again let my right hon. Friend know.
§ Mr. Biggs-DavisonWould it not have been a good thing for the British building trade and the British balance of payments, if Her Majesty's Government had not turned down the offer of rulers such as the ruler of Bahrain to finance British military expenditure in the Persian Gulf?
§ Mr. MellishThe hon. Gentleman is asking the wrong Minister the wrong Question. He had better address his remarks to the appropriate Miniser.