§ 5. Mr. Gwilym Robertsasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish the latest figures available of the total annual cost and balance of payments cost of maintaining British forces stationed in Germany, the total number of service personnel involved, the number of German civilians employed in conjunction with these forces; if he will reopen negotiations with the West German Government aimed at reducing these costs ; and if he will make a statement.
§ The Under-Secretary of State for Defence for the Army (Mr. Barney Hayhoe)The budgetary cost of British Forces Germany in 1980–81, excluding equipment, is estimated to be £1,146 million; the initial incidence of cost on the balance of payments, ignoring various offsetting factors, is estimated at £762 million. The total number of Service personnel stationed in Germany on 1 April 1980 was 64,288 and the total number of locally engaged civilians, including those employed by the Property Services Agency was 28,300. Not all of these civilians are of German nationality. The Anglo-German offset arrangement ended on 31 March 1980 as a result of the agreement made by the previous Administration and there are no plans to reopen negotiations on this matter.
§ Mr. RobertsDoes not the Minister accept that it is quite intolerable for Britain to subsidise in this way the richest country in Western Europe? In spite of the failures of the Labour Government in this respect, will he ask the Prime Minister to insist on further talks with the German Government on the basis that if they want British troops they will have to pay for them?
§ Mr. HayhoeI recognise the hon. Member's consistency in that when he asked a similar question on 8 November 1977 he was very critical of the then 1321 Labour Minister on the Front Bench. I must tell him that the terms of the agreement entered into by the previous Administration excluded reopening negotiations on this matter.
Mr. J. Enoch PowellWhat is the incremental, as opposed to the total cost, and is it not very much lower than the total figures that the hon. Member has just given to the House?
§ Mr. HayhoeYes, I have given the total cost, and of course a great deal of the cost would be incurred if the forces were stationed within the United Kingdom.