§ Mrs. Ewingasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what has been paid from public funds for part of the cost of training advisory police or civil order officers of any kind in Saigon; and what is being currently paid.
§ Mr. FoleyPart of Her Majesty's Government's assistance to the South Vietnamese Government consists of the British Advisory Mission whose function is to advise and train South Vietnamese civilian police. This field of activity is vital to the maintenance of civilian order and safety in South Vietnam. The total cost to Her Majesty's Government of the Mission since its inception in 1961 has been £380,697. The current cost is approximately £18,700 per quarter. This includes not only the cost of the Mission's operations in Vietnam but also that of some training provided for Vietnamese civilian police officers outside Vietnam.