§ The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Ministry of Defence will release the buildings and runway at 23, MU Aldergrove on its closure on 31st March 1978, to the Northern Ireland Department of Commerce as an incentive to attract an alternative employer for as many as possible of those made redundant.
§ Lord WINTERBOTTOMMy Lords, if they wish to acquire it, a small part of the Maintenance Unit at Aldergrove will be available to Northern Ireland Airports Limited, to whom title to the two runways is currently being transferred. Almost half of the larger site will be retained for continuing RAF tasks, which will also offer continued employment to about 146 civilian staff from the Maintenance Unit. The location of the remainder of the site, and the security of the airport, mean that this land must be kept under secure control and it is unlikely that it could be released for commercial development. But I understand that other sites are available for any enterprise that can be attracted and which offers new jobs.
Lord DUNLEATHMy Lords, in thanking the noble Lord for his reply, may I ask whether he agrees that a decision against handing over these premises and the highly-developed facilities to the Northern Ireland Department of Commerce will gravely prejudice the chances of the workers there—in number approaching 1,000, many of them with specialist skills—obtaining further employment?
§ Lord WINTERBOTTOMMy Lords, I do not think that is the case. If they have skill, obviously their skill would be used; a certain proportion of them will stay on the site, but performing other duties.
§ Lord DAVIES of LEEKMy Lords, anent the Answer about Northern Ireland given to the noble Lord, Lord Dunleath, can the noble Lord, Lord Winterbottom, tell me whether a more tolerant and less draconic attitude is now taken by the Ministry of Defence to the maintenance of old military sites? Are the Government keeping a watchful eye on this because of the need for much of this land in order to step up our agricultural productivity?
§ Lord WINTERBOTTOMMy Lords, the Ministry of Defence are always keeping an eye on things. But the point is that, having transferred the runways to Northern Ireland Airports Limited, plus additional buildings and land, they must retain part of it to make certain that security is maintained over the whole of Aldergrove, which is a civilian airfield in addition to being a military one.
Lord DUNLEATHMy Lords, may I ask the noble Lord whether he can give any indication of how many extra jobs the airport authority would be able to provide? Also, would he not agree that his figure of, I think, 146 is a very small proportion of the approximately 1,000 who are there now, and that unless much more employment is provided this will call into question the sincerity of the promises which were originally made by Her Majesty's Government, to make every effort to find alternative employment?
§ Lord WINTERBOTTOMMy Lords, I have said that that is entirely true. But I am certain that a substantial proportion of these 1,000 individuals are established civil servants, who will have work at some site other than Aldergrove. But if the noble Lord is interested in the details, I will write to him.