§ Mr. Buckasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will set out in the OFFICIAL REPORT the numbers of Commonwealth and foreign nationals at present under training in naval and Royal Marine establishments in the United 181W Kingdom, specifying their nationalities and the type of training being undertaken.
§ Mr. JuddIt is not the practice to reveal detailed arrangements being provided for foreign and Commonwealth navies. However, currently there are 806 overseas naval personnel from 37 countries undergoing training in the establishments of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines in the United Kingdom. The courses which they are attending cover a wide spectrum of professional naval skills and much of the training is related to sales of naval equipment by British firms.
§ Mr. Buckasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement as to the cost of training Commonwealth and foreign nationals in the defence establishments in the United Kingdom, specifying whether such training constitutes a burden on Defence Votes, or otherwise.
§ Mr. William RodgersWe charge tuition fees for training Commonwealth and foreign nationals in United Kingdom defence establishments and seek by this means to recover at least the extra costs involved. I have, however, recently set in hand an examination into the basis of our charging policy which will consider the particular question whether any burden is placed on Defence Votes on account of this training.