§ 18. Mr. Woofasked the Minister of State for Defence what has been the total cost of construction and maintaining a staging post on the island of Gan to date; and whether the proposed new island base in the Indian Ocean will serve a similar purpose.
§ Lord BalnielThe cost of construction of the R.A.F. staging post at Gan to the present date has been £6.95 million and the annual cost of maintaining it is £2.7 million. The naval communications facility to be constructed on Diego Garcia is intended to close a gap in United States worldwide communications system and to provide communications support to the United States and United Kingdom ships and aircraft in the Indian Ocean. It will not be a "base" as such and will have a quite different function from the staging post at Gan.
§ 23. Mr. Biggs-Davisonasked the Minister of State for Defence what progress has now been made in constructing the naval communications base at Diego Garcia.
§ Lord BalnielPreliminary surveys are being undertaken prior to the commencement of construction next spring.