HC Deb 03 April 1990 vol 170 cc1024-6
10. Mr. Jack Thompson

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the additional resources required to undertake a defence review.

Mr. Tom King

As I told the House last month, we are examining options for change in the structure and deployment of our armed forces which will enable us to support and preserve the key elements of our defence provision in the light of changing international circumstances.

Mr. Thompson

Does the right hon. Gentleman accept that the White Paper published this week gives no sign of any changes in defence policy? Does he agree that the Government need to catch up with a changing world in relation to defence issues and that the White Paper does nothing to restore confidence in the Government among military personnel and the defence industry?

Mr. King

As I made clear in my main answer, we are considering options for change to determine where there may be opportunities for improvement and for adjusting to the new position. In my introduction to the White Paper, I said that it was a time of great hope but also of great uncertainty. As I stand here today, the Soviet Union has just closed the border between Lithuania and Poland. It is only a week since certain equipment, clearly intended for nuclear weapons, was removed from an aircraft at Heathrow. I do not think that the House needs any reminding of the dangers and uncertainties that still exist.

Sir Geoffrey Johnson Smith

I congratulate my right hon. Friend on the defence White Paper and I welcome his announcement of an inquiry into the various options which might be open to us, depending on a number of difficult factors—notably the outcome of the CFE talks in Vienna. Is he aware that there is no mention in the White Paper of what we believe to be a growing need for helicopters in the Army? Can he reassure the House that the Ministry of Defence has not lost interest in that? I also congratulate my right hon. Friend on the White Paper's photographic embellishments, which we attribute to his skills.

Mr. King

Obviously, the provision of helicopters is a matter which we are dealing with in our options for change. I thank my hon. Friend for his remarks about our approach. We hope that there will be considerable scope for economies. We hope that there will also be an opportunity for what I would call a services dividend to help to improve the conditions and alleviate some of the problems of service personnel. I make no apology to the House for our approach, which is not to announce, as the Labour party did, a £5 billion slash in defence expenditure across the board, but seriously to consider our future commitments and the threats that we might face. We wish to ensure that the defence of Britain is properly secured at all times.

Mr. O'Neill

Does the Secretary of State appreciate that if we are to give him any credit for his review of options we are surely entitled to know what options are being reviewed? Do they cover troop reductions and, if so, what form do these take? What is the status of forward defence when the right hon. Gentleman seems not to know what the forward orders ought to be? Can he tell us what he means by a review of options in respect of flexible response when there are virtually no longer any weapons below strategic nuclear weapons available for such a doctrine? Lastly, can he assure the House that when the review of options has been completed, there will be a supplementary White Paper to give us the true picture of the Government's intentions with regard to the defence of this country?

Mr. King

I should make it clear that I do not associate the hon. Gentleman with the Labour party motion to cut defence expenditure. Although it was carried by a two to one majority by his party, I know that it was carried in the face of his opposition at that time. The points that the hon. Gentleman makes are perfectly fair. I wish to see how we can have a wider discussion of these options. I am giving thought to that, but I cannot say what the actual form or timing will be.

Mr. Jack

Can my right hon. Friend confirm that it is still the policy and intention of his Department to purchase the European fighter aircraft for the RAF at the conclusion of the aircraft's development phase?

Mr. King

I can confirm that to my hon. Friend—the German Defence Minister, Dr. Stoltenberg, and 1 issued precisely such a statement at our previous meeting before the Anglo-German summit on Friday.