§ 1. Mr. Laneasked the Secretary of State for Defence which areas overseas will be available for the training of British land, sea and air forces after 1971.
§ The Secretary of State for Defence (Mr. Denis Healey)Information about training areas and facilities used by the forces will, as usual, be given in the Statement on the Defence Estimates to be published later this month. It would not be possible to forecast precisely which of these will be in use at any particular time in the future, but I have no reason to believe that we shall not be able to continue to satisfy our requirements.
§ Mr. LaneIn view of the changed situation in Libya, would the right hon. Gentleman acknowledge the great advantages of Sharjah in the Persian Gulf and not close his mind obstinately to the possibility of retaining some facilities in that area?
§ Mr. HealeyI do not close my mind to any sensible possibility, but when we are considering facilities to replace those which we shall cease to have in Libya, the question of distance from our forces in Europe will be a factor.