§ 7. Mr. Wingfield Digbyasked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will now reconsider his policy of stopping recruiting Fleet Air Arm pilots for fixed-wing aircraft.
§ Mr. DigbyWhile recognising that it costs £180,000 to train a pilot and it seems that some will become redundant very shortly, is it not important to keep open the options to retain the carriers for the few years, if we can afford it?
§ Mr. FoleyThe phase-out of the carriers was foreshadowed in the White Paper of 1966. As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced earlier this year, with the pull-out from the Far East by the end of 1971, the carriers would phase out then.