§ 14. Mr. Dalyellasked the Minister of State for Defence when he proposes to visit Diego Garcia.
§ Lord BalnielI have no plans to do so.
§ Mr. DalyellThat is a pity, because I suspect that no one in the Government machine has the remotest notion of how costly it is to build any kind of a base out of coral limestone and rock.
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. Is the hon. Gentleman asking a question?
§ Mr. DalyellDoes any serious person in the Government machine disagree with the view of my right hon. Friend the Member for Bermondsey (Mr. Mellish), the former Minister of Public Building and Works, that a base at Aldabra or Diego Garcia would cost between £100 million and £130 million?
§ Lord BalnielI agree that it is sad that I am not going there, because I understand that the best swimming in the world is to be found among the coral reefs there. The hon. Gentleman is concerned about the costs.
§ Mr. DalyellWhat are the costs? Tell us.
§ Lord BalnielThe question of costs does not arise, because, as the hon. Gentleman will be glad to know, the entire costs are being paid by the United States Government.
§ Mr. George ThomsonWill the hon. Gentleman take this question a little more seriously? Can he tell us what the costs are? What amount are the United States Government going to spend on this British territory?
§ Lord BalnielI am not answerable for the United States Government. I do not take the matter of the Diego Garcia communications centre, which is being built, at all lightheartedly. The purpose is to close a gap in the United States' worldwide communications system and to provide communications for ships and aircraft in the Indian Ocean, which is of the utmost importance.