HL Deb 02 June 1980 vol 409 cc1102-4

2.40 p.m.

Lord ALPORT

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make a statement about the future role of the Royal Observer Corps in relation to home defence.

The MINISTER of STATE, MINISTRY of DEFENCE (Lord Strathcona and Mount Royal)

My Lords, the Royal Observer Corps is a field force of the United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation, which is part of the review presently being undertaken by the Home Secretary.

Lord ALPORT

My Lords, may I ask my noble friend, while thanking him for that Answer, whether he realises that the 10, 000 members of the Royal Observer Corps feel that the role that they have been playing over many years and the importance that they have for the future are not fully recognised by this Government¤and have not been by successive Governments? Would my noble friend consider, in conjunction with his colleagues in the Home Office, whether or not the Royal Observer Corps could provide a good foundation for an expansion of civil defence in the immediate future?

Lord STRATHCONA and MOUNT ROYAL

My Lords, I can agree with the last part of the noble Lord's question and I am distressed to hear that the Royal Observer Corps feel that they are not properly recognised. This is something which we shall be seeking to rectify in the course of this review.

Lord SHINWELL

My Lords, will the Minister say what is the purpose of the review? Is it to disband this corps or to reorganise it and make it even more efficient? And does he recognise that we cannot afford to abandon any section of our forces who have served well in the past and may be called upon to serve very well in the future?

Lord STRATHCONA and MOUNT ROYAL

My Lords, the purpose of the review, of course, is to examine the whole field of civil defence, both from the Home Office point of view and from the Ministry of Defence point of view and to co-ordinate their two interests. I entirely agree with the noble Lord that the intention would certainly not be in any way to diminish the activities of an organisation like the Royal Observer Corps, whose importance is readily recognised.

The Earl of KIMBERLEY

My Lords, can my noble friend state when the Government review statement will be finally published?

Lord STRATHCONA and MOUNT ROYAL

My Lords, I cannot answer that question; there is no particular date in mind at the present time.