§ Mr. Chichester-Clarkasked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what economic appraisal he made of the cost of social security benefits and the provision of alternative jobs and other factors before reaching his decision to close down the Royal Air Force Station, Ballykelly; and whether he will make a statement;
(2) in reaching his decision to close down the Royal Air Force Station at Ballykelly, to what extent an economic apprasial was made with the Northern Ireland Government and with other Government departments; and to what extent the cost of grants, loans and development aid needed to restore employment in the area was taken into account.
§ Mr. ReynoldsAs the hon. Member knows, Ballykelly will not be needed by Coastal Command after 1970. We could not justify the substantial expenditure that would be necessary to make the station suitable for a task which can be and must be shared between two other existing Coastal Command stations in the United Kingdom. The considerations the hon. Member has in mind will be taken into account in connection with any other possible use of the station.
I regret that we have not yet been able to find a suitable defence task for Ballykelly. We shall keep in touch with other Government Departments and the Northern Ireland Government about other uses for the station.