HC Deb 19 February 1969 vol 778 cc468-9
40. Mr. Will Owen

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether a decision has now been reached on an alternative use for the Royal Air Force Station at Acklington, Northumberland; and whether he will make a statement.

Mr. Reynolds

I am not yet in a position to say whether an alternative defence task for Acklington will be found

Mr. Owen

Is my right hon. Friend aware that the closure of this excellent R.A.F. station is deplorable, especially as it is situated in a special development area? May I inquire whether it is possible to utilise the facilities there to meet the requirements of the forces being withdrawn from east of Suez.

Mr. Reynolds

I regret the closure of this station, because of the employment situation, but it is inevitable with the run-down in defence over the next few years. It was preferable, from a defence point of view, to any other closure in the United Kingdom. We are still looking at the possibility of an Army or any other Service use for the station. As I have explained to my hon. Friend, I hope to complete my investigation as soon as possible so that, if there is not such a use, other Departments will have an opportunity of considering it.

Dame Irene Ward

May I ask why the decision fell on Acklington? Can the right hon. Gentleman tell us from where the Air-Sea Rescue Service will operate as the Boulmer and one of the other lifeboat stations on the North-East Coast were not re-employed because we had such faith in the future of Acklington? The whole thing really is deplorable and disgraceful.

Mr. Reynolds

The Air-Sea Rescue unit will be moved in August to a nearby R.A.F. station and, in due course, to some other airport, military or civil, in that part of the United Kingdom. The service will be continued for as long as there is a military requirement for it, which is for as long as the foreseeable future.

The reason for the closure of this station, compared with others, was because, although £1 million worth of work had been done on it, it would require another £1 million worth of work to be done.