§ VISCOUNT THURSOMy Lords, I beg to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government what guided missiles (air to air, ground to air, and ground to ground) are in normal service with the Royal Navy, the Army and the Royal Air Force; which of them are of British design; and when the guided missile range in the Hebrides will be ready for use.]
THE PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF DEFENCE (THE EARL OF GOSFORD)My Lords, no guided missiles are yet in normal service with Her Majesty's Forces. The British air-to-air guided missile "Fireflash" should be delivered this year and will be used by the Royal Air Force to develop operational and handling techniques. A production order has been placed for a British surface-to-air missile in sufficient numbers for full-scale trials. Supplies of the American surface-to-surface guided weapon, known as "Corporal", are expected to begin to arrive in this country at the end of this year. It is hoped that the proposed training range in the 201 Hebrides will be ready for use in 1958. In the meantime facilities are available at Aberporth and in Australia.
§ VISCOUNT THURSOMy Lords, while thanking the noble Earl for his Answer, may I ask whether it is not possible to accelerate the bringing into operation of the guided missile range in the Hebrides? Surely your Lordships are surprised to learn that it will not be in operation until 1958. When some objection was raised to this proposal at the end of last year, we were told that it was a matter of urgency. May I ask the noble Earl whether one sod has yet been cut in the Hebrides to prepare for the making of this range?
THE EARL OF GOSFORDMy Lords, as your Lordships will know, the Government must take great care in observing the procedure which is designed to give everyone interested the opportunity to protest before it is too late. Necessarily, therefore, it lakes a long time before a start can be made on the range. One cannot have it both ways. We are urged at one moment to get on with the job, and if we do so before all preliminary local arrangements have been made, then there is likely to he the usual row afterwards, with people asking why so-and-so were not in fact consulted. I trust the noble Viscount will accept this rather ambulatory answer.
§ VISCOUNT THURSOMy Lords, are we to infer from the statement of the noble Earl that the preliminaries, as he calls them—the inquiries and so forth—are not yet completed? I understood they were completed some time ago. It was stated in March that the plans were being sent to Edinburgh.
THE EARL OF GOSFORDMy Lords, the noble Viscount is indeed correct. The detailed plans are complete and are with the Inverness County Council at this moment.