§ 2. Mr. James Johnsonasked the Secretary of State for Defence how many Royal Navy ships and men have been involved in the Beira Patrol during its operation.
§ The Under-Secretary of State for Defence for the Royal Navy (Mr. Frank Judd)Seventy-six Royal Navy ships and 28 Royal Fleet auxiliaries have taken part in the Beira Patrol. About 24,000 RN personnel were involved.
§ Mr. JohnsonDespite the persistent cynicism of Conservative Members as to the value of this naval exercise, will my hon. Friend feel assured that Members on the Government benches and, in my view, all patriotic British citizens outside the House will agree that the Royal Navy has done a gallant and first-class job in blockading the illegal Smith régime? Does my hon. Friend expect to have more cooperation now from the new Government in Mozambique than he received from the Portuguese authorities before the revolution?
§ Mr. JuddI thank my hon. Friend for the tribute in the first part of his question, and I am sure we would all wish to associate ourselves with what he said. To anyone who has looked at the work of the Beira Patrol it is clear that it was carried out, often under the most difficult circumstances, with great distinction by all personnel concerned over the years of its existence. As to the latter part of the question, that would be appropriately addressed to my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary.
§ Mr. WallWhile associating myself with the Minister's tribute to the Royal Navy, may I ask him why he is so coy in giving the total cost of the Beira Patrol since its inception? The Question has been asked on a number of occasions and the hon. Gentleman has refused to answer, in spite of the fact that answers have been given over the years. Therefore, will the Minister now give us an answer, or is he still coy about letting the country know how much money has been wasted on this operation?
§ Mr. JuddI do not regard myself as being any more coy on this subject than hon. Gentlemen opposite who might have held my post before me. The fact is that the Beira Patrol has always been operated as part of wider naval operations. Therefore a costing of the kind that the hon. Member suggests would not be relevant.