§ Mr. Frank Allaunasked the Secretary of State how many gatherings in 1975 have been held by the Royal Navy Presentation Team in various parts of the country to propagate the policies of the Royal Navy; how many are planned for 1976; what is the total annual cost of these gatherings; if these are fully financed out of public funds; what is the average attendance at each gathering and to whom invitations are sent; why these gatherings are considered necessary; and who is responsible for planning them.
440W
§ Mr. Judd138 presentations have been given in 1975, and a further 65 are planned so far for 1976. During 1974–75 costs of £23,876 were incurred to public funds. During 1975–76 the per capita cost is expected to be about 88p. Presentations are given to a variety of audiences, including professional and other representative organisations, industrial and educational establishments and more general audiences. Attendance at individual meetings thus varies considerably, but the total annual audience numbers about 20,000. For presentations to specific organisations invitations are issued by the hosts; for general presentations, the invitations are issued by the Royal Naval Team to as wide a section of the community as possible including those in public life and people from both sides of industry. The presentations are designed to explain the role of the Navy within the Government's overall defence policy. The planning of the programme is the responsibility of the Ministry of Defence.
An invitation was extended to all Members of Parliament to attend a presentation by the Team held in the House of Commons on 10th November 1975; in the event about 30 Members attended.