HC Deb 24 May 1977 vol 932 c1165
3. Mr. Hooley

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what aspects of United Nations peace-keeping operations are dealt with in the training of Army officers.

The Under-Secretary of State for the Army (Mr. Robert C. Brown)

The principles of peace-keeping operations under United Nations auspices are taught to all Army officers.

Mr. Hooley

I welcome that reply, but does my hon. Friend agree that if the Helsinki spirit and the subsequent conference at Belgrade lead to greater emphasis on detente, the importance of any international peace-keeping efforts may loom larger in the future than they do at present? Does he further agree that it is important that Britain should make an adequate contribution to this?

Mr. Brown

I would not dissent from anything that my hon. Friend suggests.