§ 4. Mr. Heathcoat-AmoryTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many military personnel have been redeployed away from London and the south-east since 1983.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces (Mr. Roger Freeman)Between July 1983 and July 1987 the proportion of service personnel in the United Kingdom deployed outside London and the south-east rose from 61 to 62 per cent.
§ Mr. Heathcoat-AmoryI accept that the operational efficiency of the forces must always come first, but will my hon. Friend look at ways of increasing the number of civilian and office staff that are transferred away from the south-east? Does he agree that such a transfer would bring savings in salaries and costs and would help recruitment? If that involved the sale of property in the south-east, my hon. Friend could make a profit for his Department.
§ Mr. FreemanI agree with my hon. Friend's sentiments. It is relevant to note that by the end of this year about 1,400 civilian posts will have been deployed to Glasgow, and of that number 1,000 will have been employed locally.
§ Mr. ConwayDoes my hon. Friend agree that the policy of concentrating military forces in a few selected areas is not a good one for the long-term future of ensuring that the armed forces not only protect the community but are part of it, over as wide an area as possible—not just a few areas?
§ Mr. FreemanI agree. However, one must bear in mind operational constraints, in the sense that many of the Army units in the south-east of England in and around London are for the reinforcement of the British Army of the Rhine, so the closer they are to Germany, the better.